The Strength of China-Africa Solidarity in Defeating COVID-19
中非抗疫团结有力
Nigerian Newspapers Published an Article Written by Ambassador of China to Nigeria Dr. Zhou Pingjian
驻尼日利亚大使周平剑在尼媒体发表文章
26 June 2020
2020年6月26日
The COVID-19 pandemic is a major challenge to humankind, and is the most serious global public health emergency since the end of World War II.
新冠肺炎疫情是全人类面临的重大挑战，是第二次世界大战结束以来最严重的全球公共卫生突发事件。
“In the face of COVID-19, China and Africa have withstood the test of a severe challenge.” said President Xi Jinping in his keynote speech, Defeating COVID-19 with Solidarity and Cooperation, at the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity against COVID-19 on June 17, “The Chinese people have put up a fierce fight and made enormous sacrifice to bring the situation in China under control. Still, we remain mindful of the risk of a resurgence. In the same spirit, governments and peoples in Africa have put up a united front and, under the effective coordination by the African Union, have taken strong measures to effectively slow the spread of the virus. These are indeed hard-won results.”
6月17日，中国国家主席习近平主持中非团结抗疫特别峰会，并发表题为《团结抗疫 共克时艰》的主旨讲话。习主席指出，“面对疫情，中国和非洲经受了严峻考验。中国人民经过艰苦卓绝努力，付出巨大代价，控制住国内疫情，但仍面临反弹压力。非洲各国政府和人民众志成城，非洲联盟全力协调，采取有力举措，有效缓解了疫情，成果来之不易。”
The Extraordinary Summit via video link is a special gathering of Chinese and African leaders as the two sides are uniting efforts against the pandemic. It is a joint initiative between China, South Africa in its capacity as the Chair of the African Union (AU), and Senegal in its capacity as the Co-Chair of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, along with Presidents of Egypt, DR Congo, Algeria, Gabon, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Prime Minister of Ethiopia, and the Chairperson of the AU Commission, attended the Summit. The Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) were invited as special guests to the Summit.
此次通过视频连线召开的特别峰会是中非领导人在团结抗疫形势下举行的一次特殊聚会，由中国和非盟轮值主席国南非、中非合作论坛共同主席国塞内加尔共同发起，尼日利亚总统布哈里和埃及、刚果（金）、阿尔及利亚、加蓬、肯尼亚、马里、尼日尔、卢旺达、津巴布韦等国总统、埃塞俄比亚总理以及非盟委员会主席出席，联合国秘书长、世界卫生组织总干事作为特邀嘉宾与会。
After cordial and in-depth discussions, leaders attending the Summit reached extensive consensus on supporting Africa’s COVID-19 response and strengthening China-Africa and international cooperation against the virus. The Summit issued a joint statement which reflects the common position of China and Africa on a series of major issues.
与会领导人就支持非洲抗疫、推进中非及国际抗疫合作等进行了深入、友好交流，达成广泛共识。会议发表了联合声明，凝聚起中非在一系列重大问题上的共同立场。
In the joint statement, African countries commend China’s major strategic gains in COVID-19 response and express high appreciation for its substantial assistance for Africa’s fight against the disease. China commends the solidarity and support extended by African countries, the AU and other regional organizations for China’s COVID-19 response and appreciates the establishment of the AU COVID-19 Strategy and the appointment of Special Envoys to mobilize international support for Africa’s efforts to address the economic challenges faced as a consequence of the pandemic, and further commends the resilience African countries have demonstrated and the positive results thus achieved in curbing the spread of the virus by adopting preventive measures.
非方高度评价中国疫情防控取得重大战略成果，赞赏中方积极驰援非洲抗疫。中方感谢非洲国家和非洲联盟等地区组织对中方抗疫行动给予声援和支持，赞赏非方制定全非抗疫战略和任命特使以寻求国际支持，应对疫情造成的经济挑战。中方赞赏非洲国家在此次抗疫中展现的坚韧不拔，采取预防性措施遏制疫情扩散并取得积极成效。
China and Africa have always been a community with a shared future. We are good brothers who have shared weal and woe. Our peoples, having fought shoulder-to-shoulder for national liberation, are partners for common development. A few years back, we were together fighting Ebola. In the face of COVID-19, China and Africa have offered mutual support, fought shoulder to shoulder with each other, and enhanced solidarity and strengthened friendship and mutual trust.
中非从来都是命运共同体，是同呼吸、共命运的好兄弟。中非人民在民族解放斗争中并肩战斗，在共同发展道路上携手同行。数年前，双方并肩抗击埃博拉。面对新冠肺炎疫情，中非相互声援、守望相助，团结友好互信更加巩固。
China shall always remember the invaluable support Africa gave us at the height of our battle with the coronavirus. Over 50 African leaders have expressed solidarity and support in phone calls, letters or public statements. By sending heartwarming sympathies and good wishes, the government and good people of Nigeria have firmly stood by us ever since the outbreak. As President Buhari noted in his statement of solidarity as early as February 2, “China’s efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus have been exemplary, as well as the country’s collaboration with international agencies and other countries on the matter”, “With all the efforts being put in, we know that it is only a matter of time before this nightmare passes.” Many African countries offered us funds or in-kind assistance despite their own limited resources. Moreover, at the most demanding stage of its outbreak response in China, many African brothers and sisters chose to stay put in Wuhan or other parts of China and did a good part in the battle against the outbreak with great understanding, solidarity and cooperation.
我们不会忘记在中国抗疫最艰难的时刻，非洲送来宝贵支持。五十多位非洲领导人专门致电致函或发表声明。尼日利亚政府和人民以各种方式坚定支持中国抗疫。布哈里总统早在2月2日就公开声援，“中国为遏制新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情扩散蔓延所作努力，以及就此同国际机构和其他国家密切沟通协作，堪称典范。”“通过努力，打赢疫情防控阻击战只是时间问题。”一些非洲国家在自身条件有限的情况下，向我们提供了资金和物资帮助。在中方抗疫最困难的时候，许多非洲兄弟姐妹选择留在武汉和中国其他地方，用理解、团结与合作同我们一起防控疫情。
In return, when Africa was struck by the virus, China was the first to rush in with assistance and has since stood firm with the African people. China has a long tradition of offering medical assistance to Africa. It sent its first medical team to Africa in 1963. Since then 243,000 Chinese doctors and nurses have been sent to assist African countries and over 220 million African patients have been treated. After the Ebola outbreak in Africa, the Chinese government sent medical teams of over 1,000 military and civilian doctors to areas stricken most severely by the epidemic. In the battle against COVID-19, a total of 148 Chinese medical workers have been sent to 11 African countries including Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Cote d’Ivoire, Zimbabwe, DR Congo, Algeria, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan, Sao Tome and Principe. Comrades-in-arms indeed, China and Africa.
非洲疫情暴发后，中国率先驰援，同非洲人民坚定站在一起。中国对非医疗援助素有传统，自1963年以来已累计派出医疗队员24.3万人，在非洲各国医治病患2.2亿人次。2014年埃博拉病毒肆虐非洲之时，中国政府派出超过1000人次的军民医疗队奔赴疫情最严重地区。此次面对新冠肺炎疫情，中国已向埃塞俄比亚、布基纳法索、吉布提、科特迪瓦、津巴布韦、刚果（金）、阿尔及利亚、刚果（布）、赤道几内亚、苏丹、圣多美和普林西比等11个非洲国家派出148人次的抗疫医疗专家组。中国和非洲的确是战友。
The COVID-19 is still affecting many parts of the world. Both China and Africa face the formidable task of combating the virus while stabilizing the economy and protecting people’s livelihoods. As President Xi stressed at the Summit, we must always put our people and their lives front and center. We must mobilize necessary resources, stick together in collaboration, and do whatever it takes to protect people’s lives and health and minimize the fallout of COVID-19.
当前，疫情仍在全球蔓延，中非都面临抗疫情、稳经济、保民生的艰巨任务。正如习主席在峰会指出，我们要坚持人民至上、生命至上，统筹资源，团结合作，尽最大努力保护人民生命安全和身体健康，最大限度降低疫情负面影响。
“The COVID-19 outbreak is a clear wake-up call for multilateralism,” said President Buhari in his speech delivered at the Extraordinary Summit. “We must stay committed to upholding multilateralism,” President Xi also pointed out. On June 18, President Xi further stressed multilateralism in his message to the High-level Video Conference on Belt and Road International Cooperation, “All nations have their destinies closely connected and humanity is in fact a community with a shared future. Be it in taming the virus or in achieving economic recovery, humanity cannot succeed without solidarity, cooperation and multilateralism.”
在此次峰会上，习主席强调要坚定不移践行多边主义，布哈里总统也表示新冠肺炎疫情警醒世人多边主义至关重要。6月18日，习主席在向“一带一路”国际合作高级别视频会议的书面致辞中再次强调，“各国命运紧密相连，人类是同舟共济的命运共同体。无论是应对疫情，还是恢复经济，都要走团结合作之路，都应坚持多边主义。”
The friendship and brotherhood between China and Africa is rock-solid and unbreakable. No matter how the international landscape may evolve, China shall never waver in its determination to pursue greater solidarity and cooperation with Africa.
中非友好和兄弟情谊坚如磐石，无论国际风云如何变幻，中方加强中非团结合作的决心绝不会动摇。
China fully supports African countries’ efforts against COVID-19, and pledges to continue assisting Africa with supplies and medical experts and accelerate the construction of African CDC. China promises that once the COVID-19 vaccine is completed and put into use, African countries will be the first in line to benefit from it. China is willing to work together with the international community to step up support for African countries, particularly those that are hardest hit by the coronavirus and are under heavy financial stress, by such means as further extending the period of debt suspension, to help them tide over the current difficulty.
中方全力支持非洲国家抗疫行动，将继续向非方提供物资援助、派遣医疗专家组，加快非洲疾控中心总部建设，承诺新冠疫苗研发完成并投入使用后将率先惠及非洲国家。中方愿同国际社会一道，加大对疫情特别重、压力特别大的非洲国家的支持力度，包括进一步延长缓债期限等，帮助非洲国家克服当前困难。
As comprehensive strategic and cooperative partners, China and Africa have offered mutual support and fought shoulder to shoulder in the face of COVID-19, setting a fine example for international cooperation against the virus and elevating China-Africa ties to a new height. The strength of China-Africa solidarity in defeating COVID-19 will unleash strong, positive energy for the international community to secure an early victory against COVID-19 through solidarity and cooperation. We are convinced that emerging from the test of COVID-19, the bond between China and Africa will only become stronger and China-Africa friendship will strike deeper roots.
作为全面战略合作伙伴，中非团结抗疫为全球抗疫合作树起新标杆，带动中非关系实现新提升，为国际社会早日战胜疫情注入了强大正能量。我们坚信，经受疫情考验的中非关系将更加坚实牢固，中非友好将更加深入人心。