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African ambassador to China tells stories of Xinjiang——CAI held the 7th Ambassador Lecture
Time : 2021-03-22

 

 

On March 15, 2021, the seventh Ambassador Lecture was held at the CAI, which was co-sponsored by the CAI, the Xinjian Think Tank of CASS and the Institute of Chinese Borderland Studies of CASS. The theme of the lecture is "Xinjiang in the Eyes of African Ambassadors to China", where Adama Compaoré, Ambassador of the Republic of Burkina Faso to ChinaDaniel OwassaAmbassador of the Republic of Congo to China, Gafar Karar, Ambassador of the Republic of Sudan to China were invited to deliver keynote speeches to share their witness and interpretations of Xinjiang's development and changes. Professor Wang Linggui, vice president of the CASS and president of the CAI, attended the lecture and delivered a speech. Professor Xing Guangcheng, member of CASS, director of the Xinjiang Think Tank, and director-general of the Institute of Chinese Borderland Studies of CASS, attended the lecture and made a summary of the conference. The lecture was presided by Professor Li Xinfeng, the Executive President of the CAI and director-general of the IWAAS. There are more than 80 scholars from the three sponsors and other relevant think tanks participated in the lecture.

 

Professor Wang Linggui

Professor Wang Lingguivice president of the CASS elaborated that 2021 is of great significance to China and China-Africa relations. 2021 is the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China and the grand opening of the "14th Five-Year Plan". At the same time, this year is also the 65th anniversary of the establishment of China-Africa diplomatic relations and the year of the new Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). Therefore, at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic is still raging, China-Africa friendship and unity are even more precious. Recently, some Western countries have hyped up Xinjiang-related issues out of ulterior motives on the international stage. They completely ignored remarkable results in Xinjiang’s rapid economic and social development, the growing population of minorities, the decisive achievements in poverty alleviation, and the anti-terrorism and de-radicalization. They wantonly stigmatized China. China-Africa have always been a community with a shared future, and Africa has always firmly supported Chinese position on Xinjiang-related issues. The African ambassador’s interpretation and sharing of Xinjiang will help expose the lies of the West, tell the world a true Xinjiang, jointly promote a community with a shared future for mankind, and build a peaceful, stable and prosperous world.

 

Adama Compaoré

Adama Compaore, ambassador of Burkina Faso to China emphasized that Xinjiang is an inalienable part of China's territory, both in terms of history and reality, and China has indisputable sovereignty over Xinjiang in his speech. The "Several Historical Issues in Xinjiang" White Paper has stated very clearly that Xinjiang has been a region where different ethnic groups and all religions live in harmony since ancient times. Under the effective governance of the CPC and the Chinese government, Xinjiang's economy and society have continued to develop, the population of minorities has continued to grow, and remarkable achievements have been made in counter-terrorism and religious de-radicalizationwhich has effectively safeguard the rights of all ethnic groups’ livelihood and development. Xinjiang is a region completely open to the outside world. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the World Bank, Egypt, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Thailand have all sent delegations to Xinjiang and they witnessed the development achievements of Xinjiang. However, when Western countries hyped up Xinjiang-related issues, they completely ignored these history and realities and used false propaganda to stigmatize China in an attempt to deceive the world. This fully shows that the nature of the so-called Xinjiang issue has nothing to do with Xinjiang's governance, but a geopolitical method used by the West to contain China. Burkina Faso, located in the Sahel zone, is facing an increasing severe threat of terrorism in recent years, which has severely restricted the normal development of the country on the sectors of politics, economy and society. Xinjiang's development achievements in anti-terrorism, stability building, poverty alleviation, religious de-radicalization, and ecological environment protection have provided a certain reference for Burkina Faso's national governance.

 

 

Daniel Owassa

 

Daniel Owasa, the Republic of Congo ambassador to China said that Chairman Mao Zedong once put forward the famous saying, "No investigation, no speak." The core principle believes that any groundless statement cannot stand the test of facts. This thesis of a great Chinese man is the best theoretical weapon to criticize the Western Xinjiang-related speech. Owasa said that when he arrived in China eight years ago, there were still news reports about terrorist attacks in Xinjiang, and the local development and the safety of people's lives and property were seriously threatened by terrorism. Through the unremitting efforts of the Chinese government and local people, Xinjiang has gradually stepped out of the shadow of terrorism in recent years and has stepped onto the road of rapid economic and social development. He visited Xinjiang in 2016 and fully witnessed the implementation of Chinese policies on regional ethnic autonomy, national equality, and religious freedom. The Xinjiang-related issues hyped by the West are logically untenable and completely deviate from the facts. Therefore, they cannot justify themselves on absurd remarks such as "genocide." The Republic of Congo firmly believes that Xinjiang issues are internal issues of China, and other countries have no right to make irresponsible remarks. At the same time, he highly appreciates the amount of achievements China has made in governing Xinjiang. In the future, The Republic of Congo will continue to strengthen the cooperation with China, firmly oppose the double standards of some countries and their interference in the internal issues of other countries. The Republic of Congo and China will jointly defend the mutual consensus on human rights and development and the principles of multilateralism in the international community.

 

 

Gafar Karar

Jaafar Karaal, ambassador of the Republic of Sudan to China pointed out in his speech that China and Africa have maintained close economic and cultural ties through the Silk Road since ancient times, and Xinjiang has always played a very important role in this bond. He has visited Xinjiang three times and witnessed the tremendous changes in Xinjiang. Like terrorism in other parts of the world, although terrorism in Xinjiang is concealed by ethnicity and religion, its essence has seriously deviated from the teachings of Islam, using violent and terrorist means to destroy and even strangle the colorful traditional culture of local ethnic groups. Through effective governance, the Chinese government has not only gradually eliminated the plague of terrorism, and provided a strong guarantee for the safety of the lives and properties of local people , but also through measures such as ecological environment management and characteristic industry development, the living conditions of people of all ethnic groups are continuously improved and the people's well-being is enhanced.

 

Sudan, a country plagued by terrorism in Africa for a long time, firmly believes that Xinjiang issues are China's internal issues. China anti-terrorism and stability building in Xinjiang has effectively guaranteed the human rights of the local people. The unprovoked accusations by the West against China are entirely a geopolitical trick that reverses black and white. Facing the global pandemic of the COVID--19, China actively assumes the responsibility of a major power and international morality and supports other countries in fighting the pandemic. This fully demonstrates that the world is a community with a shared future and mankind. People from different countries need to work together to win the final victory. In the same way, only when Western countries abandoned the double standards of anti-terrorism, were countries able to truly and effectively promote international anti-terrorism cooperation and ultimately defeat terrorism, the common enemy of mankind.

 

 

Professor Zuo Feng

 

Professor Wang Lincong

 

Professor Tang Zhichao

 

Professor Zhang Yongpeng

 

Professor Wang Nan

 

Professor Wu Chuanhua

 

Dr. Deng Yanting

 

Professor Xu Jianying

 

Professor Zhou Weiping

 

Professor Wang Yu

During the Q&A session, researcher Zuo Feng, the Chinese Human Rights Council made positive comments and responses to the speeches of three ambassadors from the perspective of Xinjiang’s development achievements and Africa’s consistent support for China on Xinjiang-related issues. Researchers from the CAI, including Researcher Wang Lincong, vice president of the CAI, Researcher Tang Zhichao, director of the Political Research division, Researcher Zhang Yongpeng, Wang Nan, special researcher of the CAI, Wu Chuanhua, Director of the Editorial Department of the “Journal of China African Studies”, Dr. Deng Yanting, deputy director of the Security Research division interacted with the three African ambassadors on topics of China and Africa can strengthen exchanges on the governance of minority areas and poverty alleviation, how to crack the Western hegemony of public opinion on Xinjiang-related issues, how China and Africa should strengthen cooperation in global governance, how to consolidate Xinjiang’s anti-terrorism achievements, China-Africa cooperation against Western unilateralismstrengthen China-Africa exchanges on governance and telling China's story well . 

 

Researcher Xu Jianying, Director of Xinjiang Research Division, the Institute of Chinese Borderland Studies of CASS, Researcher Zhou Weiping and Wang Yu of Xinjiang Think tank interacted with the three African ambassadors on topics of how China and Africa should respond to Western hegemony and strengthen their own international image how China can strengthen its voice of justice to the international community in Xinjiang issueshow China and Africa should build a consensus on human rights issues and other topics . 

 

 

Professor Xing Guangcheng

Professor Xing Guangcheng, member of CASS, director of the Xinjiang Think Tank, and director-general of the Institute of Chinese Borderland Studies of CASS summarized that this lecture is a productive exchange between China and Africa, which is of great academic significance. The three ambassadors conducted a very detailed, pertinent and objective observation and analysis of Xinjiang’s history, current situation and gave a profound explanation of the deep motives and real reasons for the fake news on Xinjiang-related issues in western countries. Just as the COVID--19 pandemic is a global health threat that requires a global response, terrorism and extremism is also the common enemy of all countries. Countries in the world need to work together to completely eradicate the social soil that breeds international terrorism and extremism, and jointly develop a "vaccine" to eradicate international violence and terrorism.

 

This lecture started the good cooperation between the CAI and Xinjiang Think Tanks. In the future, he hopes to strengthen the cooperation and make this type of international exchange platform continue to operate so that more international friends can truly understand a true Xinjiang.

 

Professor Li Xinfeng

Professor Li Xinfeng, the Executive President of the CAI and director general of the IWAAS said that China-Africa friendship has a long history and both China and Africa have similar historical missions in promoting multi-religious and multi-ethnic country governance. This ambassador lecture is honored to invite three African ambassadors to China today to tell the Xinjiang stories they have experienced and understood.

 

The Ambassador Lecture and its host, the CAI, will as always constantly invite Chinese Ambassador to Africa and African Ambassador to China to give lectures, and strive to build an academic platform that tells true stories of China, Africa, and China-Africa friendship and cooperation, and promotes China-Africa cultural exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

 

He expressed his firm belief that the wonderful speeches of the three African ambassadors will help the African people thoroughly expose the lies of the West and listen to the true voices about China, especially Xinjiang.

 

At the end of the lecture, Professor Li Xinfeng, on behalf of the lecture sponsors, presented to the three ambassadors the English version of the "Research Report on Elimination of Poverty in China" series of think tank reports published by the CAI.

 

The lecture venue

 

group photo

 

 

Copyright: Institute of West-Asian and African Studies, CASS

Address: 3Zhang Zizhonglu, Dongcheng District P.O.Box 1120, Beijing 100007, China