- Trade between China and Tanzania grew by 23.7% year-on-year, reaching US$8.31 billion in 2022
- China pledges increased cooperation under its Global Development Initiative
- As of 2022, trade volume between China and Africa reached US$282 billion dollars, an 11.1% year-on-year growth.
China-Tanzania relations can be measured in growing trade portfolios and can be seen in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s choice to make Tanzania the first African country to visit when he came into power in 2013.
Not only was Tanzania President Xi’s first African country to visit but his first overseas trip since assuming the presidency.
In his speech 10 years ago, delivered at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Center which was built with Chinese assistance, President Xi cemented relations between the two long-term friends and partners.
In his speech titled; “Be Trustworthy Friends and Sincere Partners Forever,” President Xi emphasized the principles of sincerity, goodwill, good faith, and pursuing the greater good in shared interests.
“Strengthening solidarity and cooperation with African countries has always been a cornerstone and a strategic choice of China’s diplomacy,” notes the Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania Chen Mingjian.
“How to carry on China-Africa friendship, promote the development of China-Africa relations, and advance China-Africa cooperation in the new era? These have been questions that President Xi has sought to answer ever since he came into office,” she added in a recent press communique released in honour of 10 years of Tanzania – China relations under China President Xi Jinping.
According to the diplomat, since then, President Xi has worked to realize the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation and to support the African dream of unity and development.
“The essence of these principles is to adhere to the fine traditions of true friendship, pragmatic cooperation, a close bond of friendship, and being frank and honest to each other,” notes the ambassador.
“We uphold a sense of righteousness and make it a priority in our cooperation with Africa. We support Africa’s development with our own development, and ultimately achieve mutual benefit and common development,” she affirmed.
The diplomat emphasized that the ‘mutual benefit’ concept is embodied in all of China’s policies towards Africa.
Commenting further on the spirit of mutual benefits, the ambassador said; “It meets the needs of strengthening unity and cooperation between China and Africa in the new era, and demonstrates China’s solemn commitment to being a sincere friend and close partner of African countries.”
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China – Tanzania, 10 years of cooperation
China remains to be Tanzania’s largest trading partner and largest source of foreign investment to date, notes the ambassador.
In 2022, trade volumes between China and Tanzania grew by 23.7% year-on-year, reaching US$8.31 billion growing 3.5 times compared to 2012.
China has funded several major projects including the construction of the fifth and sixth sections of the Standard Gauge Railway, the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Station, the expansion of the Dar es Salaam port, and the National ICT Backbone network of Tanzania.
Other Chinese-supported projects include the Jiangsu-Shinyanga Agricultural Industrial Park and the Maweni Limestone Ltd. breathing new life into Tanzania’s industrialization ambitions.
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan was the first African Head of State hosted by China after the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China last year, a significant recognition.
“This fully reflects the exemplary role of China-Tanzania relations in China-Africa relations and South-South cooperation,” the ambassador elaborated.
While in China, President Samia Suluhu Hassan signed an agreement to upgrade the bilateral relationships to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.
The Ambassador went on to point out that; “Despite the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and weak global economic recovery, China-Tanzania pragmatic cooperation has maintained growth momentum over the past decade.”
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Africa development, a decade of President Xi
For a decade now, President Xi has walked the talk and lived by his concept, of mutual benefit for China and Africa.
As a result of his commitment, the China-Africa relationship model has set a benchmark for international cooperation with Africa.
“President Xi has stayed committed to his principle and as a result, he has pushed the international community to also increase their input in Africa,” notes the Ambassador.
Under President Xi, China-Africa relations have entered a new era of building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future, she said.
Since that maiden trip to Tanzania 10 years ago, President Xi Jinping has come to Africa four times. In those four visits, he strategically visited the eastern, western, southern, and central regions of the continent.
Notably, President Xi attended the opening ceremony of two Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summits where he personally took the time to meet with more than 50 African leaders, individually.
“Through frequent communications and sincere dialogues, President Xi has established deep friendship and trust with African leaders, leading China-Africa relations on a steady and far-reaching path,” Ambassador Mingjian went on.
Milestones of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)
This year marks the 10th anniversary of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) an ambitious and visionary initiative that has furthered China-Africa cooperation. To date, all of Africa’s 52 countries and the African Union Commission have all signed the Belt and Road cooperation with China.
Thanks to the BRI, Africa has enjoyed Chinese cooperation in various infrastructure projects including road and port construction, electricity generation, telecommunications and general ICT development.
As of last year (2022), trade volume between China and Africa reached an impressive US$282 billion dollars. That is an 11.1% year-on-year growth.
“This growth is to be expected because, for 14 consecutive years now, China has been Africa’s largest trading partner,” the ambassador points out.
In that time, Chinese businesses have made cumulative direct investments of nearly 50 billion U.S. dollars in Africa, which is more than three times the value of 2012, just before President Xi came into power in 2013.
“These 10 years have also been a decade for China and Africa to practice true multilateralism, and jointly uphold international fairness and justice,” Ambassador Mingjian went on to say.
The ambassador said; “In the face of increasing global security and development challenges, hegemonism, unilateralism, and protectionism, China and Africa have upheld the spirit of solidarity and cooperation, helped each other, and firmly supported each other on issues involving core interests and major concerns of either side.”
“No matter how the international situation changes and no matter how far China advances, China will firmly uphold the principles of sincerity, real results, amity, and good faith, and of pursuing the greater good and shared interests, advocate and implement the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, and Global Civilization Initiative,” the ambassador summed up quoting the vision and policy of President Xi.
