CHINESE AID HELPS PUT AFRICAN NATIONS ON TRACK（中国伸援助之手 非洲登发展快轨）

　　CHINESE AID HELPS PUT AFRICAN NATIONS ON TRACK

　　

　　Rail line just one of numerous assistance projects

　　

　　As the afternoon wore on, the crowd at the railway station in the Tanzanian port city of Dar es Salaam kept swelling. Loudspeakers mounted in the waiting room continued to announce new departure times.

　　Asha Maimuna, a middle-aged passenger, noted wryly: "Our safe arrival is important, not really the departure time."

　　She was traveling to Mbeya, a trip of 813 kilometers, to visit her parents. Some roads are impassable, she said, and journeys overland are prone to accidents.

　　"The Makuba Express train is a necessity for many of us, despite the long delays and sluggish speed," Maimuna said.

　　The Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority, or TAZARA, has been a lifeline for landlocked Zambia, creating innumerable job opportunities for the two countries as the line snakes 1,860 km from Dar es Salaam to the copper town of Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia. It is one of China's efforts to aid developing countries.

　　A white paper－The Right to Development: China's Philosophy, Practice and Contribution－which was released in December 2016, said China had provided some 400 billion yuan (about $56 billion) in development aid to 166 countries and international organizations over the past 60 years.

　　It has trained more than 12 million personnel from developing countries and sent around 600,000 people to assist in the development in other nations. Of those, 700 have given their lives, the white paper said.

　　Assistance from China has made a significant contribution to improving the lives of those in the recipient countries.

　　For the past 43 years, Boniface Zimba has been taking the line operated by the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority to visit his family in rural Zambia.

　　Sometimes, the 79-year-old runs into former workers from the authority, which he left 24 years ago. They always discuss how the China-built railway has boosted the economy and changed their lives.

　　"We were proud to build it," Zimba said. He left his mining job in 1970 to join 13,500 Chinese technical and engineering personnel and 38,000 Tanzanian and Zambian workers who helped establish the rail authority.

　　Zimba said the steady job and good pay enabled him and his wife to start a family and provide their eight children with an education.

　　The authority was funded by China and established between 1970 and 1975, with commercial operations starting in July 1976. It linked Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia to Dar es Salaam on the Tanzanian coast, providing freight and passenger services.

　　Wang Luo, director of the Institute of International Development Cooperation, responsible to the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation at the Ministry of Commerce, said, "The railway has been an economic catalyst for eastern and southern African nations and a symbol of the friendship between China and Africa."

　　Emmanuel Matambo, an analyst at the Center for Africa-China Studies at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa, said, "The Tanzania-Zambia railway line played a seminal role in demonstrating China's solidarity with anti-colonial and anti-apartheid agitation in Africa."

　　He added that despite not functioning at its best, the line's ideological importance has been so influential that it has dispelled many arguments about China's alleged colonial or harmful designs on Africa.

　　"The railway authority was thus an altruistic contribution to Africa from a country that wants to be seen as a kindred spirit to the continent. It created the trust that China still enjoys in Africa today," Matambo said.

　　

　　Maximum efforts

　　

　　The idea to connect central and southern African countries with the east coast by a rail link can be traced as far back as 1947. Western nations were initially approached for help in building the line, but they rebuffed the idea, insisting that the project was not economically viable, according to the railway authority.

　　Although China was experiencing difficult times itself, it made maximum efforts to finance it as a turnkey project－one that is constructed so that it can be sold to a buyer as a completed project.

　　In 1970, Chinese inspectors walked for nine months from Tanzania to Zambia to mark the route. The difficulties in building the railway were immense, and more than 160 workers, including 64 Chinese, died during the construction, according to the authority.

　　Mark Mwandosya, former Tanzanian minister of communication and transport, said, "Those of us who are fortunate enough to have witnessed the construction will forever be grateful to China."

　　Official figures show that TAZARA has transported more than 30 million metric tons of cargo and over 40 million passengers since it started operating in 1976. During this time, China has offered technical support to enable the authority to function well.

　　The rail line has seen Kapiri Mposhi, which used to be a sleepy town, grow into a vibrant hub with a population of 300,000. It has also seen hotels and restaurants mushrooming to serve traders and workers from the railway authority.

　　Li Dechao, deputy managing director at China Civil Engineering Construction Co in Tanzania－TAZARA's Chinese operating company－said, "This infrastructure is a very important link to hinterland areas."

　　He added that as the rail line passes through underdeveloped rural areas in Tanzania and Zambia, it has become the lifeblood of local economic development.

　　In addition, it has fostered positive relations between Tanzania and Zambia due to the shared growth it has brought. Analysts in Africa believe that these gains from the project exemplify the anticipated benefits from future Sino-African cooperation.

　　TAZARA is just a tiny part of China's long-term and continuous foreign aid to African countries. Since 1956, all countries on the continent that have established diplomatic relations with China have received Chinese aid in various forms, according to Wang, from the Institute of International Development Cooperation.

　　"Africa has been in great need of foreign aid, as the continent has a large number of developing countries," she said. "China has attached great importance to the development of Africa, and more than 40 percent of China's foreign aid currently goes to the continent."

　　After the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, the Chinese government decided to help developing countries that were in need, as well as promote the country's standing on the world stage.

　　At the time, Asian and African countries were winning their independence and were eager to obtain external development aid. Wang said that in view of this, and to widen its diplomatic reach, China strengthened its cooperation with and assistance to developing countries on both continents.

　　

　　Basic principle

　　

　　China's foreign aid began in 1950, when it provided material assistance to two neighboring countries, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Vietnam.

　　The basic principle for the country's foreign aid was formulated when Premier Zhou Enlai announced the Eight Principles for Economic Aid and Technical Assistance to Other Countries during his first visit to Africa from December 1963 to February 1964.

　　In the nearly 70 years since China began aiding foreign countries, it has always abided by the Eight Principles, whose key content embraces equality, mutual benefit and no political conditions.

　　"China's foreign aid is different from that of Western countries," Wang said. "We don't impose political strings, and we respect a recipient country's right in choosing its development path. Moreover, all our personnel for foreign aid share wealth and woes with African people and treat them just like brothers, which has impressed them a lot."

　　Chinese aid to Africa is also designed to help support the continent's development agenda, thus positioning China as a strategic alternative for such assistance.

　　George Nyongesa, a senior associate at the Africa Policy Institute, a think tank in Kenya, said: "China focuses on infrastructure development, which in turn facilitates follow-on investments. Additionally, as the West reduced aid to Africa in recent years, China has been ramping up its assistance and intends to set up an international development cooperation agency to coordinate its foreign aid."

　　Financial resources provided by China for foreign aid mainly fall into three types: grants, interest-free loans and concessional loans. The first two come from State finances, while concessional loans are provided by the Export-Import Bank of China as designated by the central government, according to the State Council Information Office.

　　China offers foreign aid in eight forms: complete projects; goods and materials; technical cooperation; human resource development cooperation; medical teams sent abroad; emergency humanitarian aid; volunteer programs in foreign countries; and debt relief.

　　Hisham AbuBakr Metwally, an economics researcher with the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Trade and Industry, said Chinese aid has had a major impact on improving the lives of African people, as it targets basic services for citizens such as roads, railways and power stations, among others.

　　China turned to the participation of African countries in achieving their development plans, which contributed greatly to the high growth rates in nations such as Mauritius, Ethiopia, Kenya and Egypt, he said.

　　Furthermore, there is a large funding gap between what African countries require for infrastructure development and the money available. China contributes significantly to financing infrastructure projects, as well as the creation of more industrial zones that the continent desperately needs, Metwally said.

　　While sticking to the core values of the Eight Principles, China has been keeping pace with the times to transform its foreign aid system and specific ways of providing such assistance.

　　Wang said that in the initial stage, a number of African countries had just won their independence and were in great need of foreign development aid. China provided this in the manner required. As the country was still a planned economy at the time, the central government assigned tasks mainly to State-owned organizations.

　　"At the time, China was facing difficult situations both at home and abroad, and it provided all the assistance it could afford to African countries in their efforts to win independence and develop their economies, laying the foundation for a friendly relationship," Wang said.

　　In October 1971, China resumed its seat in the United Nations, with the support of developing countries, including those from Africa.

　　

　　New road taken

　　

　　After adopting the reform and opening-up policy in 1978, China started to develop a market economy, and its economic cooperation with other developing countries extended from economic aid to multiform and mutually beneficial cooperation.

　　"China adjusted the scale, arrangement, structure and sectors of its foreign aid in accordance with its actual conditions," Wang said. "It strengthened its foreign assistance to the least-developed countries and paid more attention to the economic and long-term effects of aid projects."

　　In 2000, the Sino-African relationship embarked on a new road when the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was launched. This marked the transformation of the relationship from political and economic cooperation in limited areas to comprehensive cooperation in political, economic, social and cultural fields. Regular and frequent exchanges between China and Africa have been held since then.

　　Wang said Africa is no longer merely a continent that needs aid, it is a potentially big market. As African countries are at different levels of economic development, China is considering the kind of role the aid can play in advancing deeper and closer comprehensive economic and trade cooperation between the two sides.

　　"We consider how to use our aid to support the industrial development of African countries, consolidate their economic foundation and help them integrate with global development," she said.

　　In recent decades, Africa has witnessed far-reaching changes, and has seen one of the fastest rates of economic development globally, meaning there are now different requirements for aid from China, Wang added.

　　This year's Africa Economic Outlook from the African Development Bank shows that the continent's general economic performance continues to be encouraging. GDP growth reached an estimated 3.5 percent last year, about the same as in 2017 and up from 2.1 percent in 2016. Growth is projected to accelerate to 4 percent this year and to 4.1 percent next year.

　　"While African countries will still need funding, projects and materials, they now want to learn more about China's experience in governance and economic development, including how to stimulate market potential and the private sector," Wang said.

　　She added that faced with various demands for aid, China would consider its comparative advantages, and share more often with developing countries its solutions and experiences in governance and developing its economy.

　　"We consult with the recipient countries to find out what they need most and what we are best at, to make the best solution while providing aid," she said.

　　Nyongesa, the Kenyan analyst, said aid from China has been aligned to Africa's Agenda 2063, the continent's development blueprint. The eight major initiatives announced at the Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing last year overlapped with Africa's development priorities as well as individual development strategies.

　　President Xi Jinping announced an additional $60 billion in funding to largely facilitate improved railway systems, transportation and energy infrastructure, in addition to public health and industrialization. Nyongesa said, "These are areas that underpin Africa's structural transformation that is expected to lift millions out of poverty."

　　China has also been able to develop financing models to match African countries' economic capacity.

　　Mutambo, from the University of Johannesburg, said that to sustain cooperation, the Sino-African relationship needs to gradually move from a government-to-government to a private-to-private connection. "The private sector can benefit more if the African and Chinese governments promote responsive and good leadership, aspects which are often limitedly assessed under the scope of non-interference," Mutambo added.

　　

　　译文:

　　中国伸援助之手 非洲登发展快轨

　　——坦赞铁路见证中国智慧分享合作共赢

　　

　　午后的时光缓缓流逝，坦桑尼亚港口城市达累斯萨拉姆的火车站里人头攒动，候车室的广播正不停地播报着最新的火车发车时刻表。

　　正在候车的中年乘客阿莎·迈穆纳（音译）苦笑着说:"什么时候开车无所谓，能安全抵达目的地才是最重要的。"

　　迈穆纳打算坐火车前往813公里外的姆贝亚市去看望她的父母。因为城市之间的公路路况恶劣、部分路段受阻，搭乘公路交通总是极易遭遇交通事故。

　　"马库巴特快列车（坦赞铁路上运行的列车）对于我们许多人来说都是必不可少的，尽管有时候它会晚点比较久，速度也不是很快。"迈穆纳说道。

　　坦赞铁路东起坦桑尼亚的达累斯萨拉姆市，向西蜿蜒约1860公里后最终到达赞比亚中部的铜矿小城卡皮里姆波希。它是非洲内陆国家赞比亚的生命线，也为坦桑尼亚和赞比亚两国创造了无数的就业机会。坦赞铁路是中国在发展中国家援建的重要项目之一。

　　国务院新闻办2016年12月发布的《发展权:中国的理念、实践与贡献》白皮书指出，60多年来，中国共向166个国家和国际组织提供了近4000亿元人民币的援助；为发展中国家培训各类人员多达1200多万人次；在派遣出的60多万援助人员中，有700多人为他国发展献出了宝贵生命。

　　中国的援助为改善受援国人民的生活做出了巨大的贡献。

　　在过去的43年里，79岁的博尼法斯·辛巴（音译）一直乘坐坦赞铁路局运营的列车去探望他住在赞比亚农村的家人。辛巴曾参与修建坦赞铁路，24年前从坦赞铁路局退休。这些年来，他常常会在列车上遇到当年一起工作的建筑工人，而他们总会情不自禁地谈起中国援建的这条铁路如何有效地促进了当地的经济发展、切实地改变了人们的生活。

　　"我们很骄傲参与了坦赞铁路的修建工作。" 辛巴说道。他原本是一位矿工，1970年加入了坦赞铁路的修建大军，与13500名中国技术和工程人员以及38000名坦桑尼亚和赞比亚工人们并肩作战。

　　这份稳定的工作及其丰厚的待遇使他得以顺利地组建了自己的小家庭，供8名子女接受了教育，他回忆道。

　　坦赞铁路由中国于1970年至1975年间援建，在1976年7月移交坦赞两国政府并开始商业运营，在坦赞两国之间沿途提供货运及客运服务。

　　商务部国际贸易经济合作研究院国际发展合作研究所所长王泺指出:"坦赞铁路是东非和非洲南部国家经济发展的催化剂，也是中非友谊的象征。"

　　南非约翰内斯堡大学中非研究中心研究员埃曼努埃尔·马坦博（音译）认为:"坦赞铁路体现了中国坚决支持非洲反殖民和反种族隔离运动的立场，意义深远。"

　　尽管这条铁路目前还没有达到最佳运营状态，但它在意识形态上的重要性影响深远。同时，它也消除了许多污蔑中国企图殖民化非洲或损害非洲利益的言论，他补充道。

　　"因此，对于非洲国家来说，坦赞铁路是与之志同道合的中国送出的一份无私的礼物。坦赞铁路使中国赢得了非洲的信任，中国至今依然享有这份信任。"

　　

　　最大限度的支持

　　

　　坦桑尼亚和赞比亚两国早在1947年就萌发了修建铁路将非洲中部、南部国家与东海岸相连的想法。他们最初向西方国家求援，西方国家却以修筑这条铁路经济上不可行为由断然予以拒绝。

　　彼时，中国自身面临重重困难，却仍尽最大限度的努力以"交钥匙"工程的方式援建了坦赞铁路，即由中方全面地承担项目的组织实施任务，建成后再移交给受援国政府。

　　1970年，中国测绘人员从坦桑尼亚徒步到赞比亚，历时9个月完成了坦赞铁路的勘测工作。坦赞铁路的修建过程也是困难重重，坦赞铁路局的数据显示，至少有160名工人，包括64名中国工人，为之献出了宝贵的生命。

　　前坦桑尼亚交通部长马克·姆万多西亚说道:"有幸见证坦赞铁路建设过程的所有人都会永远感激中国。"

　　坦赞铁路局的官方数据显示，自1976年正式运营以来，坦赞铁路共运送了3000多万吨货物及4000多万名乘客，中国则一直为之提供技术支持，确保铁路的正常运转。

　　有了坦赞铁路，曾经的"睡城"卡皮里姆波希已发展成为拥有30万人口、活力四射的交通枢纽城市，酒店和餐馆如雨后春笋般在此涌现，为路过的商人及铁路工人等提供服务。

　　参与坦赞铁路运营的中国土木工程集团有限公司坦桑尼亚分公司副总经理李德超认为:"坦赞铁路是连接非洲内陆地区的一个非常重要的纽带。"

　　由于坦赞铁路沿途穿越坦桑尼亚和赞比亚许多欠发达的农村，它也成为了当地经济发展的命脉，他补充道。

　　此外，坦赞铁路给坦桑尼亚和赞比亚两国带来了共同的经济增长，也进一步促进了两国友好关系的发展。非洲分析人士普遍认为，坦赞铁路给非洲带来的效益说明了中非之间后续的合作必然会给非洲带来巨大的收益。

　　在中国长期持续的对非援助中，坦赞铁路只是冰山一角。

　　商务部国际贸易经济合作研究院国际发展合作研究所所长王泺表示，自1956年以来，所有与中国建交的非洲国家都获得过中国以各种形式提供的援助。

　　"非洲拥有大量的发展中国家，长期以来都非常需要国际援助。中国一直高度重视非洲大陆的发展，我们对外援助总额中至少有40%都流向了非洲。"她说道。

　　1949年中华人民共和国成立后，中国政府即决定帮助有援助需求的发展中国家，同时提升中国在国际舞台中的地位。

　　王泺表示，当时不少亚洲和非洲国家正在争取民族独立、发展民族经济，渴望外部援助。考虑到这种情况，也为了扩大中国的外交"朋友圈"，中国政府加强了与亚非发展中国家的合作及对他们的援助。

　　

　　对外援助基本原则

　　

　　1950年，中国开始向朝鲜和越南两国提供物资援助，开启了中国对外援助的序幕。

　　周恩来总理在1963年底到1964年初首次访问非洲期间提出了中国对外经济技术援助的八项原则，其核心内容包括秉持平等互利原则、绝不附带任何条件等。 半个多世纪以来，中国在开展对外援助时始终坚持这八项基本原则。

　　"中国的对外援助和西方国家大不相同。我们在提供援助时不附加任何政治条件，并且尊重受援国选择自身发展道路的权利。此外，我们所有的外援人员都和非洲当地工作人员同吃同住、同甘共苦，对待当地人就像对待自己的兄弟，给非洲人民留下了深刻的印象。" 王泺说道。

　　中国的对非援助旨在帮助和支持非洲大陆实现其自身设置的发展议程。对于非洲国家来说，中国只是其在寻求国际援助时的战略选择之一。

　　肯尼亚非洲政策研究所高级研究员乔治·尼恩格萨（音译）认为:"中国的援助侧重于基础设施建设领域，而基础设施的发展又可以带动后续的相关投资。近年来西方国家逐步减少对非洲的援助，中国则增强了对非援助的力度，并有意成立一个国际发展合作机构来协调其对外援助。"

　　《中国的对外援助》白皮书显示，中国对外援助资金主要有三种类型:无偿援助、无息贷款和优惠贷款。其中，无偿援助和无息贷款资金在国家财政项下支出，优惠贷款由中国政府指定中国进出口银行对外提供。

　　中国对外援助主要通过八种方式:成套项目、一般物资、技术合作、人力资源开发合作、援外医疗队、紧急人道主义援助、援外志愿者和债务减免。

　　埃及工业与发展部首席经济学家希沙姆·阿布贝克·梅特沃利（音译）表示，中国在非洲援建了大量公路、铁路、发电站等为公民提供基础服务的设施，极大地提高了非洲人民的生活水平。

　　中国有效地帮助了非洲国家实现其自身的发展目标，为毛里求斯、埃塞俄比亚、肯尼亚和埃及等非洲国家经济的快速增长做出了重大贡献。此外，非洲基础设施领域仍然存在巨大的资金缺口，中国为非洲的基础设施项目提供了大量的融资服务，并大力帮助非洲国家建设其迫切需要的工业区，梅特沃利补充道。

　　中国的对外援助一直以"八项原则"为核心，但同时也依据时代变化，与时俱进地变革援助体制和援助方式。

　　王泺指出，中国开展对外援助的初期，很多非洲国家刚刚赢得民族独立，急需国际援助以发展民族经济。因此中国往往根据他们要求的方式提供援助。彼时中国仍处于计划经济时代，所以中央政府会把援助任务的实施主要交由国有机构来完成。

　　"那时候，中国自身也处于内外交困的情形，但还是尽最大的努力去支援非洲国家争取民族独立、发展民族经济，为中非友谊奠定了坚实的基础。" 王泺说道。

　　1971年10月,在包括非洲各国在内的广大发展中国家的大力支持下，中国也得以恢复在联合国的合法席位。

　　

　　中非友谊踏上新征程

　　

　　1978年，中国开始实行改革开放政策、发展市场经济，与其他发展中国家的经济合作也由经济援助向多种形式互利合作的方向发展。

　　"中国根据实际情况调整了对外援助的规模、形式、结构和领域，加强了对最不发达国家的援助，并更加重视援助项目的经济效益和远期影响。" 王泺说道。

　　2000年，中非合作论坛的成立标志着中非关系开启了新征程，意味着中非关系将从有限领域的政治经济合作向政治、经济、社会、文化等领域的全方位合作转变。自此，中非之间定期、频繁地进行交流。

　　王泺认为，非洲已不再是一个仅仅需要国外援助的大陆，而是已经成长为一个潜在的巨大市场。由于非洲各国经济发展水平参差不齐，中国也开始考虑如何使援助项目更有效地推动中非双方发展更深入、更紧密的全面经贸合作伙伴关系。

　　"我们现在会更多地考虑如何利用我们的援助来支持非洲国家的工业化进程，巩固他们的经济基础，帮助他们更好地融入全球发展。"她说。

　　近几十年来，非洲大陆发生了深刻的变化，成为全球经济增长最快的地区之一，这意味着非洲对中国的援助也会有不同的要求，她说道。

　　非洲开发银行发布的《2019年非洲经济展望》报告显示，非洲经济增长整体呈现良好的态势，初步估算，2018年非洲经济增速为3.5%，与2017年几乎持平，比2016年增长了1.4个百分点。报告预计，2019年和2020年非洲经济增速将分别达到4%和4.1%。

　　"虽然非洲国家仍需要资金、项目和物资援助，但现在他们更希望学习中国在国家治理和经济发展方面的经验，包括如何激发市场潜力及如何促进民营经济的发展。" 王泺说道。

　　当前，面对各种援助需求时，中国会考虑自身的比较优势，更多地与发展中国家分享国家治理和经济发展过程中的有效经验和解决方案。

　　"我们会与受援国一起讨论他们最需要什么、我们最擅长什么，从而制定出最优的援助方案。" 王泺说道。

　　肯尼亚非洲政策研究所的尼恩格萨认为，中国对非援助与非洲大陆制定的发展蓝图《2063年议程》是相契合的。2018年中非合作论坛北京峰会上提出的"八大行动"与非洲大陆的发展重点和非洲各国的发展策略也是互相重合的。

　　2018年国家主席习近平在中非合作论坛北京峰会上宣布，为推动"八大行动"顺利实施，中国愿再向非洲提供600亿美元支持。据悉，这些资金将主要用于大力改善非洲的交通和能源等基础设施、推动公共卫生发展和工业化进程。尼恩格萨认为:"这些领域是非洲实现经济结构转型的基础，而经济结构转型的顺利实现预计将使数百万非洲人民摆脱贫困。"

　　此外，中国还发展了符合非洲国家经济发展水平的融资模式。

　　南非约翰内斯堡大学的马坦博认为，中非要维持长久的合作伙伴关系，则应逐步从政府合作层面向民间交流层面拓展。

　　"中非政府目前秉持的是不干预私营经济发展的原则。但若中非政府能够为双方私营经济间的合作与交流提供更为及时高效的引领，中非的私营经济领域将获益更多。" 马坦博说道。