China: We’ll sustain support to Tanzania

KATARE MBASHIRU

Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania, Ms Wang Ke

AS a major trade and investment partner, China has reiterated that it will continue supporting Tanzania in its industrialisation agenda and poverty reduction.

The Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania, Ms Wang Ke, said in Dar es Salaam yesterday that there was a compelling need for China and Tanzania to enhance the strong bilateral diplomatic ties and brotherly relations between them, to promote the country’s development.

She was speaking in Dar es Salaam yesterday, at a ceremony to launch the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM)’s Centre for Chinese Studies (CCS) whose main objectives are to undertake in-depth research on the relevance of China’s development experience to the development of Tanzania as well as promoting study tours of scholars, policy makers, business persons and politicians.

Others are introducing China to Tanzanians in a comprehensive and objective manner as well as offering policy advice for China-Tanzania cooperation in an active way, among others. According to the Chinese envoy, China, which pulled 700,000 people out of poverty over the last decade, had developed a new development outlook which she believes Tanzanians could apply to realise their development goals.

She added that in September this year, China would host the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit in Beijing, during which Tanzania as one of the African countries, would be formally included in the Belt and Road Initiative.

The initiative envisions new roads, highspeed rail, power plants, pipelines, ports, airports, and telecommunications links that would boost commerce between China and Africa, Tanzania in particular.

Recently, China and Tanzania reached an agreement on signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation relating to the Belt and Road initiative in the quest to connect the two countries’ development strategies, so as to promote their common development.

“I hope the Centre for Chinese Studies at UDSM will have several advantages, including strengthening cooperation with other academic institutions and business partners in Africa and China as well as providing theoretical and intellectual support to China- Africa cooperation,’’ she said.

According to CCS Director Prof Humphrey Moshi, since its establishment two years ago, the centre had so far conducted various research studies that recommended various issues related to the country’s development.

The official launching of the centre makes it the third research institute in Africa specialising on Chinese studies. Others are Centre for Chinese Studies at the Stellenbosch University (South Africa) and Centre for China Studies which is in Nigeria.

The launching ceremony was presided over by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Dr Augustine Mahiga, who asked academicians at the centre to translate the various research findings into a reality that could help in the implementation of the various development projects in the country.

Other high-profile dignitaries who attended the event included former Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda and the Chairman of The Tanzania Private Sector Foundation, and Mr Mengi, who are members of the centre’s Board of Trustees.

In his remarks, the former Prime Minister reminded Tanzanians that if the country’s development was anything to go by public discipline, the war against corruption, focus on agriculture and capitalising on education were issues that should not be underestimated.