Botswanan President Mokgweetsi Masisi speaks during an interview with Xinhua in Gaborone, Botswana, Sept. 2, 2024.(Photo by Tshekiso Tebalo/Xinhua)
GABORONE, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) has provided important driving forces for building a community with a shared future for mankind, Botswanan President Mokgweetsi Masisi has said.
Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Botswana and China, and bilateral relations have witnessed "leaps and bounds" since then, Masisi said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua before leaving for the ongoing 2024 FOCAC summit held in Beijing.
"Fifty years ... is enough time to prove that we are true friends," he said with delight and pride, hoping Botswana to strengthen relations with China not just for the next 50 years, but for eternity.
In 2021, Botswana signed a memorandum of understanding with China on cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), thus becoming the 46th African BRI partner country.
Masisi said the two countries have cooperated in infrastructure, trade and investment, and people-to-people exchanges among other areas, and he was particularly impressed by healthcare cooperation.
China has dispatched 17 batches of medical teams to Botswana since 1981, providing important assistance to the country in combating diseases including AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, said the president. "China has always been there with us and for us. The government and the people of Botswana are immensely appreciative of the support rendered by China."
The China-proposed Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative bring new opportunities for the development of the Global South and open a new blueprint for the progress of the international community, said Masisi.
"I am very confident and very hopeful that we will be able to carry ourselves further as we deepen our collaboration in multilateralism," he said.
Over the past 24 years since the founding of the FOCAC, China-Africa cooperation, featuring equality, practicality and efficiency, has yielded significant fruits, said the Botswanan leader, adding that the forum has also been widely recognized among African and Chinese people, and highly regarded by the international community.
"FOCAC has become a very prominent brand for Africa-China cooperation, and a banner for promoting the spirit and the principles of peaceful coexistence, forging a collective and strong cooperation between Africa and China," he said.
Masisi expressed his belief that the FOCAC conforms to the vision of the African Union's Agenda 2063, expecting China to participate in continent-wide plans including the Program for Infrastructure Development in Africa and the Africa Mining Vision. ■