Your Excellency President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete,

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

Today, I am delighted to have this opportunity to meet with you, friends from various sectors in Dar es Salaam, during my visit to this beautiful country of Tanzania. Let me begin by conveying to our friends present here and to the brotherly Tanzanian people the warm greetings and best wishes of the 1.3 billion Chinese people. I also wish to thank President Kikwete and the Tanzanian Government for the thoughtful arrangements and warm hospitality.

Tanzania is one of the cradles of mankind. The Tanzanian people have a glorious tradition and have made important contributions to the victory of the African people in gaining national independence and fighting against apartheid. In recent years, under the leadership of President Kikwete, Tanzania has worked hard with "New Zeal, New Vigor, and New Speed" to grow its economy, improve the well-being of the people, maintain political stability, make continued progress in development, and play an important role in African and international affairs. It is renowned as the "oasis of peace" in Africa. We rejoice at the achievements of Tanzania and we sincerely wish the brotherly Tanzanian people new and even greater success in the future.

As an old Chinese saying goes, "Nothing can separate people with common goals and ideals, not even mountains and seas." In spite of the long distance between us, the leaders and people of our two countries have engaged in friendly exchanges since the 1960s and forged a profound friendship during Africa's struggle for national liberation. Over the past 45 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, both sides have attached great importance to the growth of our relations. China and Tanzania have had close high-level contacts, enhanced political mutual trust and expanded practical cooperation in a wide range of areas. Our relationship has become a model for China-Africa cooperation and South-South cooperation. Yesterday, President Kikwete and I had an in-depth exchange of views and reached broad agreement on how to further our bilateral relations. We signed agreements on economic and technological cooperation. I had the pleasure to attend the completion ceremony of the Tanzania National Main Stadium. This large multifunctional sports facility, which was built with assistance from the Chinese Government, will become a new landmark of friendship between our two countries.

Yesterday, I went to the Chinese Experts Cemetery in Majohe Village to pay my respects to the 69 Chinese experts and technicians who were laid to rest there. They gave their lives to the development of Tanzania and, in particular, to the construction of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway. The youngest among them was only 22 years old. The Chinese Government and people will always cherish their memory and will never forget their contribution to our friendship with Tanzania.

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

This is the sixth time for me to set foot on the land of Africa. Every time I come, it's like coming back home. And every time I talk to our African friends and listen to your views on China, China-Africa relations and world affairs, I get new inspiration and food for thought.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the people of China and Africa fought shoulder to shoulder against colonial rule in order to achieve national liberation on the African continent. This was followed by our cooperation in various forms on the basis of equality and mutual benefit. Now in this new century, we are working together to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and bring about the development and rejuvenation of China and Africa. China-Africa friendship has traveled a glorious path in the past half-century and more. Similar historical experiences and shared goals have tied our destinies together and enabled our relationship to withstand the test of time and changes in the international situation. I wish to reiterate here that the Chinese people have always cherished our traditional friendship with Africa and we will continue to do so in the future. We will always view African people as our all-weather friends whom we can fully trust and count on. We will forever remain good brothers and good partners of the African people.

At the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2006, leaders of China and African countries agreed to develop a new type of strategic partnership featuring political equality and mutual trust, win-win economic cooperation and cultural exchanges. It marked a new chapter in the annals of China-Africa relations. In the past two years and more, thanks to our joint efforts, China and Africa have further increased political exchanges and enhanced strategic mutual trust. We have given each other understanding and support on major issues of our respective concern. Our cooperation in economic, trade and other fields continues to deepen. A large number of important cooperation projects have been launched or completed. For the first time, our two-way trade exceeded $100 billion last year. Our cultural and people-to-people exchanges are flourishing, as we have increasingly frequent cultural, educational, youth, tourist and non-governmental interactions.

At the Beijing Summit, I announced on behalf of the Chinese Government eight policy measures to strengthen practical cooperation with Africa and support African countries' development. It is heartening to see that the implementation of these measures is well under way. China has substantially increased its assistance to Africa, exempted tariffs on some African exports to China and basically completed the debt cancellation plan. The China-Africa Development Fund is up and running. China has begun construction on the conference center for the African Union (AU), and has made good progress in building hospitals, malaria prevention and treatment centers, agricultural technology demonstration centers and rural schools in Africa. Youth volunteers and senior agricultural experts from China have arrived and started their work in Africa. Progress in all these areas has brought tangible benefits to the people of Africa and offered even brighter prospects for China-Africa cooperation.

The year 2008 was an eventful and momentous year for China. We will not forget that immediately after the massive earthquake in Wenchuan, Sichuan Province, our African friends expressed sympathy to the Chinese Government and people, and many African countries gave generous assistance to our relief efforts in spite of their own difficulties. Your support strengthened the courage and confidence of the Chinese people to prevail over the natural disaster. We will not forget that the successful torch relay in the run-up to the Beijing Olympic Games in this very city, the famed "House of Peace," promoted the noble and pure Olympic spirit. We will not forget that African friends have consistently given us firm support on Taiwan and Tibet-related issues as well as other major issues concerning China's sovereignty and core interests. All these are vivid examples that show that the Chinese and African people are true friends who have weathered storms together and shared weal and woe. Here, on behalf of the Chinese Government and people, I wish to express once again our heartfelt thanks to the brotherly African people.

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

The world is undergoing major changes and adjustments. There is a growing trend toward a multi-polar world, and economic globalization continues to gather momentum. The pursuit of peace, development and cooperation has become the call of our times. The international situation is generally stable. On the other hand, however, destabilizing factors and uncertainties are clearly on the rise in the international political and economic landscape. The international financial crisis triggered by the sub-prime mortgage crisis is worsening. It has rapidly spread from some parts of the world to the entire globe, from developed countries to emerging markets and developing countries, and from the financial sector to the real economy. It has grown into a severe and widespread international financial crisis rarely seen in history. The impact of the crisis on economies around the world is still deepening and its grave consequences will be felt more acutely in the days to come. It has put developing countries in a particularly disadvantaged position. Many African friends are concerned that in the face of the daunting challenge of the financial crisis, their international development partners may scale back aid, debt relief and investment in Africa. At the G20 Summit on Financial Markets and the World Economy held in Washington last November, I appealed on behalf of the Chinese Government to the international community to pay greater attention to the damage caused by the crisis in developing countries, especially the least developed ones, and do all it can to minimize it. The international community, and developed countries in particular, should assume due responsibilities and obligations, continue to deliver on their aid and debt relief commitments, maintain and increase assistance to developing countries and effectively help them maintain financial stability and economic growth. They should take concrete steps to help developing countries, especially those in Africa, overcome difficulties and improve the external environment necessary for the development of these countries.

Both China and African countries belong to the developing world. We see each other as important strategic partners. China fully appreciates the wishes and aspirations of African countries and supports Africa's efforts to secure peace and stability and meet the MDGs at an early date. During times of adversity, it is all the more important for China and Africa to support each other, work in concert and tide over the difficulties together. Let us work together and focus our efforts on the following key areas: