By Nkechi Eze
China and Tanzania have reaffirmed their enduring friendship and shared vision for the future, pledging to deepen cooperation, strengthen people-to-people ties and advance joint development projects that will benefit both nations and the wider region.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made this known on Saturday during a meeting with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan in Dar es Salaam. Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, described China and Tanzania as “friends with a shared future,” stressing that the bond forged by the leaders of the older generation remains one of the most valuable spiritual assets of bilateral relations.
“The friendship between our two countries, nurtured and sustained by the older generation of leaders, has withstood the test of changing international circumstances and remains a priceless legacy,” Wang said, adding that China attaches great importance to relations between the two parties and the two countries. He conveyed warm New Year greetings and best wishes from Chinese President Xi Jinping to President Hassan.
President Samia, in response, asked Wang to convey her own New Year greetings to President Xi and expressed appreciation for China’s consistent and strong support for Tanzania’s development, particularly under the framework of the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). She reaffirmed Tanzania’s firm adherence to the one-China principle and underscored her country’s readiness to further align its development strategies with China’s.
According to President Hassan, Tanzania is keen to deepen practical cooperation with China, advance the revitalization of the Tanzania–Zambia Railway and the development of a regional prosperity belt, strengthen inter-party exchanges, expand people-to-people interactions and promote sustained economic growth. “Our goal is to ensure that cooperation between Tanzania and China continues to bring tangible benefits to our two peoples,” she said.
The Tanzanian leader also spoke highly of the four major global initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping, noting that Tanzania stands ready to enhance multilateral coordination with China and jointly promote a more just and equitable global governance system.
In his remarks, Wang Yi reaffirmed China’s readiness to work closely with Tanzania to implement the important consensus reached by both heads of state. “China stands ready to strengthen exchanges on governance experience, deepen practical cooperation, expand people-to-people exchanges and push forward the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between our two countries,” he said.
Wang further expressed China’s appreciation for Tanzania’s unwavering commitment to the one-China principle and reiterated China’s support for Tanzania in safeguarding its sovereignty, independence and national dignity, as well as pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions. He stressed the importance of promoting high-quality cooperation and transforming the revitalized Tanzania–Zambia Railway into a powerful engine for regional development.
The Chinese foreign minister also pledged China’s support for Tanzania’s growing role in regional and international affairs, noting that China is ready to work with Tanzania and other developing countries to promote peace, stability and progress globally.
The meeting underscored the depth of China–Tanzania relations and highlighted a shared determination to carry forward a historic friendship while injecting new vitality into a partnership anchored on mutual respect, development and a common future.
