Singing, drumming, cheering... On March 29, 2013, Brazzaville, the capital of Congo (Brazzaville), was full of people, and there was a festive atmosphere. They are greeting an honored guest, Chinese President Xi Jinping.
This is the first visit by a Chinese president since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1964, and the whole Congo (Brazzaville) is boiling over it.
China and the Congo are thousands of miles apart, but the people of the two countries have crossed mountains and seas, held hands with each other, and written a long scroll of colorful friendship. President Xi Jinping expressed the true meaning of this: "China and African countries are friends of adversity, and the friendship of adversity must not be forgotten. ”
Over the past 10 years, guided by the diplomacy of the head of state, China-Congo friendship has continuously written a new chapter.
"Thank you, thank you!"
Before serving as the leader of China's 21st medical team to aid Congo (Brazzaville), Zhang Guoxiang never imagined that he would have contact with this distant equatorial country, let alone meet President Xi Jinping here. Before going abroad, he was a hepatobiliary surgeon in the Third Central Hospital of Tianjin, famous as "a knife".
Zhang Guoxiang's face was dark and shiny, and the African sun was sunburning. He often remembers that scene: on March 30, 2013, President Xi Jinping and Congolese President Sassou cut the ribbon for the newly built China-Congo Friendship Hospital, and according to local tradition, folded the cut color strips and put them on each other. In the lobby of the hospital's outpatient building, President Xi Jinping visited a Chinese medical team that was on a foreign aid mission there.
"President Xi kindly asked where we are from, how long we have been here, and what are the living conditions here. What impressed me even more was President Xi's summary of the spirit of the Chinese medical team: fearless of hardship, willing to dedicate, save lives and help the wounded, and boundless love. Zhang Guoxiang told this reporter.
Since 1963, when the Chinese government was invited to send the first foreign medical team to African countries, over the past 60 years, groups of Chinese doctors like Zhang Guoxiang have continued to donate, bringing medical skills, materials and equipment like swallows to build a nest, lighting up the light of life for countless Africans.
Practicing medicine far from the motherland, the difficulties can be imagined. "Almost every member of our team has had malaria. Here, malaria is as common as a cold. "But it never stumped Chinese doctors.
Zhang Guoxiang also often remembers that when the medical team returned, an African colleague named Mary was reluctant. With tears in her eyes, she said in French: "Merci, Merci! ”
Zhang Guoxiang does not speak much French, but he can feel the deep friendship contained in this "thank you": it was Zhang Guoxiang who helped Mary remove gallstones that had caused her pain for years. After the operation, Mary recovered well and specially sent Zhang Guoxiang hometown wine to thank her.
The China-Congo Friendship Hospital, personally cut by President Xi Jinping, was built with Chinese aid and is located in the Mfiru area on the western outskirts of Brazzaville. Before the hospital was built, there were only a few small clinics in the Mfiru area, with a population of more than 100,000, and a lack of medical care and medicine was the norm. In the past 10 years, with the support of the Chinese medical team, the hospital has become famous in the local area. The medical team also carried out assistance projects such as "Guangming Xing" in the hospital, and performed nearly 1,000 cataract surgeries for local patients free of charge.
"I've always missed that place"
"People know each other from heart." On March 29, 2013, during a speech in the Congolese (Brazzaville) Parliament, President Xi Jinping specifically mentioned one thing: In April 2010, after the strong earthquake in Yushu, Qinghai, China, the Congolese (Brazzaville) government generously donated money to build a primary school in the disaster area, which President Sassou named "China-Congo Friendship Primary School".
Congo (Brazzaville) is not rich, considering the high cost of donation, at that time the Chinese side suggested that the Congo only donate to build a teaching building or library, but Sassou was very firm: "No, what will be donated is a primary school, a complete primary school, no matter how high the cost is, Congo (Brazzaville) will bear it." ”
Two years later, when the 3,800-meter-high primary school was completed, Tashi Tsomao, an 11-year-old Tibetan girl, and her classmates returned to their new campus, studying and living in the spacious new school building, running and laughing on the sports field.
"Birds are freer because of the vastness of the sky, horses are more robust because of the vastness of the grasslands, flowers are more colorful because of the sun and rain, and our lives are better because of the help of the Congolese government and people." This is a letter of thanks written by all the students of the school to President Sassou, and it is also another confirmation of the friendship between the Chinese and Congolese people. President Xi Jinping said, "The people of our two countries have forged a profound brotherhood in adversity and sincere mutual assistance."
Vote for me with wood peach, and repay it with Qiong Yao. During that visit, President Xi Jinping and President Sassou jointly attended the opening ceremony of the Nguwabi University Library and the unveiling of the China Pavilion, which was built with Chinese assistance. "We know best who is genuinely good to us and who is our true friend." Ngwwabi University Emeritus Chancellor Moikua said.
What does a real friend look like? That is, whenever one party has difficulties, the other party will step forward and help each other. At the beginning of 2020, at the critical moment of China's fight against the new crown epidemic, President Sassou and other Congolese leaders sent letters of condolence to the Chinese side, and the not-so-wealthy city of Pointe-Noire donated 10,000 masks to the sister city of Suzhou; After the outbreak of the epidemic in Congo (Brazzaville), China immediately provided anti-epidemic material assistance to it, and dispatched an anti-epidemic medical expert team to carry out anti-epidemic experience exchange and operational training. The Chinese anti-epidemic medical expert team who arrived in Brazzaville also brought blessings from the teachers and students of the China-Congo Friendship Primary School.
"I've been thinking about that place all the time." Tashi Tsomao, who graduated from the Sino-Congolese Friendship Primary School for many years, said.
China-Africa dream, China-Africa love
"There is a city, it is difficult to give up..." In 2019, Congolese (Brazzaville) youth heroically sang "Song of Xi'an People" in authentic Shaanxi dialect, which quickly became popular on the Chinese Internet.
Yingyong is the first batch of African students who came to China through school-enterprise cooperation, and has been in China for more than 10 years. He said that many African children have a "Chinese dream" and hope to go to China and see this vast land and lovely people...
Because they have a "Chinese love" in their hearts. In the Congo (Brazzaville), symbols of Sino-Congolese friendship can be seen everywhere: from National Highway 1, known locally as the "Road of Hope", to the new parliament building, from the magnificent "August 15, 1960 Bridge" to the large Imburu hydroelectric power station, to the 60,000-strong Brazzaville Kindler Stadium... A large number of infrastructure infrastructure to benefit people's livelihood built with Chinese assistance has taken root in Congo (Brazzaville). In Moikua's words, China is sincerely helping African countries develop, and through jointly building the "Belt and Road", China and African countries carry out pragmatic cooperation to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results.
Ten years ago, President Xi Jinping's true and sincere policy concept on Africa and the correct concept of righteousness and benefit have continuously led China-Congo and China-Africa cooperation to a new level. In the past 10 years, China and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been upgraded to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, and the two countries have become more and more closely connected. Chinese walk the streets of Brazzaville, and locals will cast friendly glances and say a warm "hello". He Xinyu Wang Meihua
Source: Overseas.com