KEMBO MOHADI

Zimbabwean Vice President

I visited China way back in the 1970s and there was little development - Beijing was full of bicycles and the people then had three kinds of outfits that I can remember. I had to visit Beijing quite often for political activities.

What I have realized is that over the last 70 years, the Chinese people did not look for assistance. They did not go to the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund to look for assistance. They said we have got to develop ourselves internally, and they did it. In the process they gained expertise in development and ensured that the people understood the [government's] development agenda - they [the people] rallied behind the Communist Party of China (CPC) and their government and went on to achieve the success they have today.

Now they have a big trade volume which is even the envy of the United States. So, it is us in Zimbabwe who can assist ourselves, who can bail ourselves out of the situations we are in now. We have to do it. The Chinese have done it and so we can also do it. We have got the human resources, we are educated, but what we lack is skills. We now need to attain the skills. Our universities are busy with skills development. We have got incubation centers in the universities and we have changed our ways of doing things. With the right skills, a graduate who leaves college does not need to go and look for work, but can actually go out and [start a business and] create jobs. That's how we are going to turn around the fortunes of Zimbabwe - we have got what it takes.

INOUSSA MOUSTAPHA

Nigerien Ambassador to China

It is now 70 years since the People's Republic of China was founded. Nigerien President Mahamadou Issoufou has congratulated his counterpart President Xi Jinping - [and passed on his best wishes] from the Nigerien people to the Chinese people.

Since the resumption of diplomatic relations in 1996, cooperation between the two countries has continued to evolve rapidly. Several high-level officials from both sides have since visited each others' countries.

On the Nigerien side, President Mahamadou Issoufou has made two visits to China in eight months. He participated in the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in September 2018 and the recent state visit at the invitation of President Xi on May 26-30, 2019. This state visit was a great success because it reinforced the relations between the two countries in all spheres.

Cooperation between the two countries is based on understanding and mutual respect and has evolved to cover many areas, including political relations, economic development, energy, cultural exchanges as well as the development of infrastructure and even security.

Niger is today part of the small circle of oil-producing countries thanks to its cooperation with China.

China is involved in the development of Niger through several financing projects in the form of assistance as well as preferential loans.

MBELW KAIRUKI

Tanzanian Ambassador to China

The keywords [to describe China's development in the past 70 years] are great leap forward. Last year, China celebrated the 40th anniversary of reform and opening up and there are a lot of changes that have taken place for the better. Millions of people have been lifted out of poverty; massive infrastructure has been constructed; and the developments [have taken place] in terms of technology. We have seen that China is now leading [in terms of development] when it comes to railway technology. We have seen China now advancing in medicine. We have seen China pioneering in agriculture. And all these [achievements] were not there 70 years ago. So it is a great leap forward.

JOHN ANDRUGA DUKU

South Sudanese Ambassador to China

I can't say I know everything about China, but in the short time that I have been here, I have traveled in the provinces of China. I also read books and watched documentaries about China; but above all, I have been to museums in China where history is documented.

Between the 70 years [since the founding of the People's Republic of China] and the 40 years of China's reform and opening up, the vision from the time of the founding father of the People's Republic of China Mao Zedong to the current leader President Xi Jinping is what made China what it is today. A major factor for development has been that of China addressing the issue of food for its population, because no food to feed the 1.4 billion people would mean depending on food [imported] from somewhere else. We are very grateful for the wise leadership of the CPC and the correct policies they put in place. They are now producing enough food to feed all of the Chinese people. We are [also] beneficiaries [of this food]; we are getting rice from China whereas South Sudan should be the one exporting rice to China, and not vice versa, because of the vast lands we have for agriculture. As we have not utilized our land, we now rely on contributions from the Chinese Government for rice donations because China has a surplus of rice thanks to the CPC that has been in power for the past 70 years.

The 40 years of opening up has accelerated the commitment of the CPC. I see China as a true partner of South Sudan, of Africa and indeed of the whole global community who seek peace and stability on our planet. We are very blessed as South Sudan, and Africa as a whole, that China has President Xi as its leader, especially at this time when the world is going through volatile situations. Where some [world] powers are promoting protectionism, China has stood up for multilateralism. We congratulate China for that decision.

For us in Africa, without the support of China, especially without the Belt and Road Initiative, we would have no infrastructure in some parts of the continent. We are looking at regional roads. South Sudan is a member of the East African Community and we benefit from the Belt and Road Initiative through the railway from Mombasa, which now reaches Nairobi and passes to Uganda and South Sudan. The project could never have been completed so quickly without Chinese technology, Chinese finance and the political will of President Xi in promoting the Belt and Road Initiative. It is about 480 km now, from Mombasa to Nairobi. The railway has decongested Mombasa, the main port for South Sudan, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda and Kenya itself which benefits from [this railway].

ELIA G. KAIYAMO

Namibian Ambassador to China

The development of China in the past 70 years is impressive. I came to China in 2004 as a member of parliament and I didn't see many bridges. I saw a lot of bicycles. When I came here as an ambassador, I saw a lot of bridges and cars and not so many bicycles. This is an impressive change. China took a leading role in global development and we [Namibians] can learn from China in how to support our government. The Chinese are supporting their government's policies under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism With Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

The way they are going about development is impressive. The railway [construction] is impressive and the development of e-commerce is impressive. The people are confident about themselves as well as their country and leadership.