On March 14, 2024, Mr. Pan Qingjiang, Consul General of China in Johannesburg, delivered a speech at the Global Media Dialogue-South Africa Stop which was hosted by CMG （China Media Group）at the University of Johannesburg.The full text of his speech is as follows:

Experts and friends,

Good morning!

It is my great pleasure to exchange views with friends from various sectors in South Africa, including the government, media, academia, business, and overseas Chinese communities, on the theme of "Chinese Modernization and New Opportunities to Africa".

Achieving modernization has been the relentless pursuit of the Chinese people since modern times, and it is also the common pursuit of all peoples of the world. Over the past 100 years, China has forged a distinctive Chinese path to modernization through independent practice, creating a new form of human civilization. Facts have eloquently proven that there is no fixed model for modernization, that it is not a single-choice question, and that any country can achieve the modernization as long as it is in line with its own national conditions and in the interests of the development of its people. Chinese modernization has expanded the choices of paths for developing countries to realize modernization, and has provided a Chinese solution to mankind's quest for a better social system. Chinese modernization is not self-serving, let alone for “China first”, instead, it is a way of injecting more positive energy into world peace and bringing more new opportunities for global development while achieving our own development.

Here with today’s topic I wish to share my observation from three aspects.

First, Chinese modernization is the modernization of common prosperity for all, which will certainly inject strong impetus into Africa's economic recovery and open up a broad path for common development between China and Africa. The rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer is not modernization. Serving a few countries or a few people is not modernization. The common prosperity of the world's people requires the common development of all countries. The Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Development Initiative are public goods provided by China to the international community and open platforms for achieving common development and common prosperity. Over the past 10 years, the Belt and Road Initiative has resulted in more than 3,000 cooperation projects, pulled nearly $1 trillion in investment, and created 420,000 jobs in countries along the route, including Africa. The Global Development Initiative has also been universally welcomed by the international community, and is now supported by more than 100 countries, including the vast majority of countries in Africa, and many international organizations. Chinese modernization has ignited the confidence of all countries to modernization. As one African leader said, the Chinese path has inspired all developing countries, and every country can achieve development from scratch.

In 2023, China-Africa trade reached a historic peak of USD282.1 billion, with year-on-year growth of 1.5%. China has remained Africa's top trading partner for 15 consecutive years. The bilateral trade volume between China and South Africa reached USD 55.6 billion in 2023. South African exports to China have continued to expand, with beef, citrus, red wine, oysters, rooibos tea and many other products very popular with Chinese consumers. Chinese enterprises have invested more than USD25 billion in South Africa, an increase of more than 100 times compared to the time when diplomatic relations were established, creating more than 400,000 local jobs.

This year is a big year for China-Africa cooperation. The next meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) will be held in China this autumn. Chinese and African leaders will gather in Beijing again after six years to discuss future development and cooperation and exchange governance experience.

Friends, the basic trend of China's long-term economic improvement has not changed. China's economic development has outstanding advantages: we have the institutional advantage of a socialist market economy, the demand advantage of a mega-market, the supply advantage of a complete industrial system, and the talent advantage of a large number of highly qualified workers and entrepreneurs. Last year, China's economy grew at a rate of 5.2%, contributing one-third of the global GDP growth, and remains the biggest engine of global economic recovery.

At the recently concluded “two sessions” of NPC and CPPCC, China proposed to continue to promote high-quality development, vigorously push forward the construction of a modernized industrial system, accelerate the development of new quality productive forces, and released a clear signal to expand high-level opening up to the outside world. With China's 1.4 billion-plus population moving into modernization as a whole, a scale that will exceed the combined population of existing developed countries, China is bound to provide a stronger impetus to the African economy.

Second, China's march towards modernization will open up better prospects for social progress in Africa and provide more viable solutions for building a clean and beautiful world.

China regards the free and comprehensive development of human beings as the ultimate goal of modernization. Comprehensive human development means not only being materially rich, but also spiritually rich. China’s president Xi Jinping put forward the Global Civilization Initiative, advocating the importance of civilization inheritance and innovation, respect for the diversity of the world's civilizations, and adherence to equality, mutual appreciation, dialogue and tolerance among civilizations, China and Africa continue to sign implementation plans for intergovernmental agreements on signature programs such as the Year of China, the Year of Culture, Happy Spring Festival, further enhancing cultural exchanges and cooperation. China and Africa have made great efforts to promote people-to-people exchanges and mutual appreciation of civilizations.

China plans its development on the basis of harmony between human beings and nature, and consciously takes the responsibility of protecting the ecological environment and addressing climate change on its shoulders. China has made a solemn commitment to the world to achieve carbon peak and carbon neutrality, and it will only take 30 years to go from carbon peak to carbon neutrality, which is a decade to more than 40 years less than that of the United States and the European Union. The peoples of China and Africa work together to advocate green, low-carbon, recyclable and sustainable development and safeguard the common homeland of humanity. China is actively engaged in South-South cooperation on tackling climate change.Various approaches have been explored in support of Africa’s response to the issue, such as implementing mitigation and adaptation programs, jointly setting up pilot low-carbon industrial parks, and conducting training in capacity-building.

Third, China's march towards modernization will bring more certainty to peace and stability in Africa and strengthen the international community's forces for peace and justice.

The Global Security Initiative put forward by president Xi Jinping points to the right direction of common and universal security. With China's facilitation, Saudi Arabia and Iran have resumed diplomatic relations, and the situation in northern Myanmar has eased. On the Ukraine issue, China has all along held an objective and impartial position and promoted peace talks. With regard to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, China firmly supports the Palestinian people’s just cause of regaining their legitimate national rights, and is always committed to a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the question of Palestine at an early date.

China's march towards modernization has proven to be a growth in the forces of peace and a strengthening of the forces of justice. As a constructive participant in peace and security affairs in Africa, China always supports the right of African countries and the AU to play a leading role in the region’s peace and security affairs. China supports their efforts to promote peace and stability and fight against terrorism. China endorses the “Silence the Guns in Africa” initiative in countries and regional organizations such as the AU. China will continue to support the UN in providing financial support for the AU’s independent peacekeeping operations. As China follows the path of peaceful development, it will continue to deepen exchanges and dialogue in the field of peace and security between China and Africa.

Friends, Chinese modernization benefits the Chinese people and promotes the common development of the world. China is ready to work with African countries to provide new opportunities for Africa's development through new achievements in Chinese modernization, to provide new impetus to Africa's exploration of the road to modernization and a better social system, and to promote to build a high-level China-Africa community with shared future.

Thank you.