Hand in Hand Toward a Community of Shared Development

JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed the BRICS-Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue on Thursday.

Following is the full text of Xi's remarks:

Hand in Hand Toward a Community of Shared Development

Remarks by H.E. Xi Jinping

President of the People's Republic of China

At the BRICS-Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue

Johannesburg, August 24, 2023

Your Excellency President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa,

Colleagues,

Let me begin by thanking President Ramaphosa for preparing the Dialogues. I am delighted to join you all in this discussion on global development.

Development embodies our people's aspiration for a better life. It is the top priority for developing countries and a timeless theme for humanity. As the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is due for a midterm review this year, the delivery of most Sustainable Development Goals remains slow. This is a cause for concern, and the global development endeavor faces formidable challenges.

The international community must pursue the larger interests of all countries, respond to people's concerns, and restore development to the center of the international agenda. The representation and voice of developing countries in global governance should be increased, and developing countries be supported in realizing better development. It is also important to uphold true multilateralism, forge a global development partnership, and create a secure and stable international environment for shared development.

Colleagues,

China has invariably stood in solidarity with fellow developing countries through thick and thin. China has been and will always remain a member of developing countries. I proposed the Global Development Initiative (GDI), precisely for the purpose of calling on the world to stay focused on development and lending impetus to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Last year, China held the first High-Level Dialogue on Global Development where a host of measures for development cooperation were unveiled. Encouraging progress has been made since then.

-- We have put development first and allocated more resources. China has set up a Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund with a total funding of 4 billion U.S. dollars, and Chinese financial institutions will soon set up a special fund of 10 billion dollars dedicated to the implementation of the GDI.

-- We have taken results-oriented actions and deepened practical cooperation. From Asia to Africa, from Pacific island countries to the Caribbean, over 200 cooperation projects have come to fruition, and cooperation mechanisms are growing in areas such as poverty reduction, education and health.

-- We have unleashed the power of innovation and built up momentum for development. Under the GDI, we have prioritized green development, new-type industrialization, the digital economy and some other key areas, and pursued a Partnership on New Industrial Revolution to boost high-quality development.

-- We have tided over difficulties together and made development more resilient. Food and energy security bear on the economy of a country and the well-being of its people. We have launched a China-FAO South-South Cooperation Trust Fund, implemented the Food Production Enhancement Action, and provided food assistance to and shared agrotech with many countries. We have also initiated a Global Clean Energy Cooperation Partnership with a view to achieving energy security.

China is a friend that Africa can count on. Over the past decade, China has provided a large amount of development assistance to Africa and helped build more than 6,000 km of railway, over 6,000 km of highway, and 80-plus large power facilities on the continent. Going forward, China will carry out more cooperation with African countries to support Africa in enhancing its own capacity for development. Specific measures will be taken, such as providing satellite mapping data products, implementing a Smart Customs cooperation partnership, and launching with UNESCO a "GDI for Africa's Future" action plan, to support sustainable development in Africa.

Colleagues,

A Chinese adage reads, "Victory is ensured when people pool their strength; success is secured when people put their heads together." Let us stay committed and united to build a community of shared development, and make sure that in the process of global modernization, no country is left behind.

Thank you. ■