2. Jointly Combating Covid-19
(二)守望相助抗击新冠肺炎疫情
Confronted by Covid-19, China and Africa have withstood a severe challenge, helping each other and fighting side by side to defeat the pandemic through solidarity and cooperation.
面对突如其来的新冠肺炎疫情,中非双方经受住严峻考验,相互声援、并肩战斗,共同唱响团结合作、共克时艰的时代强音。
In June 2020, the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity against Covid-19 was held via video link, making China the first country in the world to convene an anti-pandemic summit with Africa. It has provided a guide for international anti-pandemic cooperation with Africa, and injected new impetus into global anti-pandemic cooperation. At the summit, President Xi elaborated on important policies on advancing China-Africa cooperation and strengthening international cooperation amid the pandemic. He called for the accelerated implementation of the outcomes of the FOCAC Beijing Summit, with greater priority to be given to cooperation in the areas of public health, economic reopening, and people's livelihoods. He also announced a series of measures regarding anti-pandemic assistance to Africa, debt relief, debt service suspension, and economic reopening, which have been highly praised and widely welcomed in Africa. Participating leaders issued the Joint Statement of the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity against Covid-19, agreeing to join forces in resolutely fighting the pandemic, pressing for cooperation, practicing multilateralism, and enhancing friendship. Since the summit the two sides have closely worked together on pandemic prevention and control, resuming economic activity, and restoring and progressing China-Africa cooperation.
2020年6月,中非团结抗疫特别峰会成功举办。中国成为全球首个同非洲大陆就应对疫情举行峰会的国家,引领国际对非抗疫合作,为全球抗疫合作注入新动力。习近平主席在峰会上阐述了疫情形势下推进中非合作、加强国际合作的重要政策主张,指出要加快落实中非合作论坛北京峰会成果,将合作重点向健康卫生、复工复产、改善民生领域倾斜,并宣布了对非抗疫援助、减缓债和复工复产等系列举措,受到非方高度赞誉和广泛欢迎。与会领导人共同发表了《中非团结抗疫特别峰会联合声明》,一致认为中非双方要坚定不移携手抗击疫情、坚定不移推进中非合作、坚定不移践行多边主义、坚定不移推进中非友好。会后中非双方密切对接,统筹推进疫情防控和复工复产,推动中非合作克服疫情挑战,不断恢复并向前发展。
During the toughest times in China's fight against the epidemic, African countries and regional organizations such as the AU rendered strong support and assistance to China through various means. In February 2020, the Executive Council of the AU issued a communiqué in support of China's anti-epidemic efforts – the first time an important regional organization and an entire continent had offered China such support. Those expressing their support and sympathy also included the heads of state of 48 African countries, heads of government of 11 countries, 12 speakers of legislative bodies, and the chairperson of the AU Commission, who all sent letters or telegrams. The governments of 10 countries issued statements; foreign ministers of 18 countries sent letters; and participants of an AU Peace and Security Council meeting, an emergency meeting of African health ministers and other meetings of major regional organizations also expressed sympathy. Though few African countries are wealthy, they still actively donated money and supplies to China, and some African students studying in China also joined the local fight against the epidemic.
在中国抗疫的艰难时刻,非洲国家和非盟等地区组织通过不同方式对中国抗疫行动给予有力声援和支持。2020年2月非盟部长理事会发表公报支持中国抗疫努力,是全球首个重要地区组织和整个洲域公开给予中国声援。非洲48国元首、11国政府首脑、12国议长和非盟委员会主席来函(电),10国发表政府声明,18国外长致函,非盟和平与安全理事会会议、卫生部长紧急会议以及主要地区组织会议等均向中方表示声援和慰问,不少非洲国家不富裕,但仍积极向中国捐款捐物。一些非洲在华留学生同当地防疫人员一道奋战在抗疫前线。
After Covid-19 struck Africa, China immediately offered humanitarian assistance, the largest such program in scale and the most difficult to implement since the founding of the PRC. Since 2020, in coordination with local governments, enterprises and social organizations, the Central Government of China has provided emergency anti-pandemic supplies – including 120 batches of nucleic test reagents, protective gear, masks, eye protectors and ventilators – to 53 African countries and the AU based on their respective needs, with these emergency supplies reaching almost all areas across the continent. China has also actively shared its anti-epidemic experience with African countries, and dispatched anti-epidemic medical expert groups or short-term anti-epidemic medical teams to 17 African countries to fight the epidemic alongside local people. It also pushed for the earlier start of the construction of the headquarters of the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), a project assisted by China.
非洲疫情发生后,中国第一时间驰援非洲,开展了新中国成立以来涉及范围最广、实施难度最大的人道主义援助行动。从2020年起,中国根据有关国家需求,统筹地方政府、企业和民间组织等各类资源,向非洲53国和非盟提供了120批检测试剂、防护服、口罩、隔离眼罩、呼吸机等紧急抗疫物资援助,实现对非抗疫援助“全覆盖”。中国积极同非洲国家分享抗疫经验,向17个非洲国家派出了抗疫医疗专家组或短期抗疫医疗队,同非洲人民共同抗击疫情,并推动中国援建的非洲疾控中心总部项目提前开工建设。
China actively honors its commitment to make vaccines a global public good. At the time when Chinese vaccines had just reached the market and domestic supply was tight, China began to supply vaccines to Africa in support of its battle against the pandemic. By November 12, 2021, China had provided over 1.7 billon doses of Covid-19 vaccine to more than 110 countries and organizations, including 50 African countries and the AU Commission, and is striving to provide a total of 2 billion doses by the end of 2021. In addition to donating $100 million to COVAX, China will donate 100 million doses of vaccine to developing countries including those in Africa. Chinese firms are actively engaging in joint vaccine production in Africa with local firms, helping countries, in accordance with their wishes, to realize localized vaccine production. To date they have started localized production in Egypt, and signed cooperative agreements with Morocco and Algeria.
中国积极践行“将疫苗作为全球公共产品”的承诺,在中国疫苗上市之初、国内供应紧张的情况下,即开始向非洲援助疫苗,为非洲国家抗疫提供支持与帮助。中方积极落实将疫苗作为全球公共产品的坚定承诺,截至2021年11月12日,已向包括50个非洲国家和非盟委员会在内的110多个国家和国际组织提供超过17亿剂疫苗,将努力全年对外提供20亿剂疫苗,并在向“新冠疫苗实施计划”捐赠1亿美元基础上,再向包括非洲在内的发展中国家无偿捐赠1亿剂疫苗。中国企业亦积极在非洲地区开展联合生产,帮助有意愿的国家实现疫苗本地化生产,目前已在埃及启动疫苗本地化生产,同摩洛哥和阿尔及利亚签署了合作协议。
To help African countries cope with the pandemic and overcome temporary difficulties, China supports the effort to reduce the debt burden on African countries, and is actively implementing the G20's Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). Among G20 members, China ranks first in terms of the amount of deferred debt, having signed debt service suspension agreements or reached consensus with 19 African countries. China supports extending the DSSI till the end of 2021, and is working with relevant members to implement the Common Framework for Debt Treatments beyond the Debt Service Suspension Initiative. For countries experiencing a very serious epidemic situation and under particularly severe pressure, China, together with other stakeholders, will provide support on a case-by-case basis.
为帮助非洲国家应对疫情冲击,克服暂时困难,中国支持减轻非洲国家债务负担,积极落实二十国集团(G20)“暂缓最贫困国家债务偿付倡议”,在G20成员中缓债金额最大,已同19个非洲国家签署缓债协议或达成共识。中国支持将G20缓债倡议延期至2021年年底,并同有关成员一道落实《缓债倡议后续债务处理共同框架》。对于疫情特别重、压力特别大的国家,中国并同有关方一道,通过个案处理方式提供支持。
3. Winning the Battle against Ebola Together
(三)并肩战胜非洲埃博拉出血热疫情
In 2014, Ebola broke out in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. At a time when African people were in difficulties, China offered a helping hand, setting an example for the international community. China was the first to aid Guinea and Sierra Leone, and was the only country to provide laboratories to the epidemic-hit areas in West Africa and set up observation and treatment centers there. China provided rapid, practical and comprehensive anti-Ebola assistance to a total value of RMB750 million, and dispatched nine chartered planes to transport supplies and personnel. It sent more than 1,200 clinical and public health experts to Africa to combat Ebola alongside local medical workers. Chinese medical workers trained some 13,000 local medical workers. China also helped Ebola-stricken countries to build laboratories and treatment centers. Those assistance programs constituted the largest at the time among China's overseas assistance programs in response to public crises in terms of duration, coverage, scale and intensity. Chinese diplomats, medical teams, peacekeepers, and corporate employees chose to stay in Africa rather than evacuate. They managed to overcome their own fear of the epidemic, and thereby gave confidence to local people as well. Chinese and Africans confronted the disaster with sincere friendship, sharing weal and woe.
2014年,塞拉利昂、利比里亚和几内亚暴发埃博拉出血热疫情。在非洲人民的艰难时刻,中国义无反顾伸出援助之手,在国际社会发挥了引领和示范作用。中国是最早向几内亚、塞拉利昂等国提供援助的国家,也是唯一一个向西非疫区提供实验室并设立留观诊治中心的国家。中国先后向有关非洲国家和国际、地区组织提供总额约7.5亿元人民币快速、实用、全面抗疫援助,先后使用9架次包机运输物资和人员,向疫情国派出16批、1200多名临床和公共卫生专家,与当地医生共同战斗在抗击埃博拉疫情的前线,中国医生还在当地培训医护人员1.3万人次。中国还为疫区国家援建了实验室、治疗中心等多个项目,成为当时中国支持海外国家和地区应对公共危机持续时间最长、覆盖面最广、规模和力度最大的一次援助。面对疫情,中国外交官、医疗队、维和人员和企业员工始终选择坚守,而不是撤离。恐惧比病毒更可怕,而信心比黄金更宝贵。在灾难面前,中非人民展现了同甘苦、共患难的一片真情。
In 2018, when Ebola broke out again in the DRC, China provided timely emergency humanitarian aid including supplies, money, experts, medicine and training to the country and its neighboring countries including Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda, as well as the AU, helping them to promptly contain the epidemic.
2018年,刚果(金)再次暴发埃博拉出血热疫情,中国及时向刚果(金)及其邻国卢旺达、布隆迪、乌干达以及非盟等提供包括物资、现汇、专家、药品、培训在内的一揽子紧急人道主义援助,帮助有关国家及时遏制疫情发展。
4. Jointly Coping with Natural Disasters
(四)携手应对自然灾害
China has always attached importance to disaster relief in Africa, helping it to respond to various natural disasters and humanitarian crises, and providing emergency humanitarian assistance through multilateral organizations such as the UN, the World Food Programme, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
中国历来重视非洲受灾国的救援工作,帮助非方应对各种自然灾害和人道主义危机,并通过联合国、世界粮食计划署、红十字国际委员会等多边国际组织开展对非紧急人道主义援助。
Chinese people will not forget that in 2008 when China was struck by a devastating earthquake, Equatorial Guinea, a country with only 2 million people, donated 2 million euros, averaging 1 euro per person. The Republic of the Congo donated $1 million after the Wenchuan earthquake, and $2 million for building a primary school after the Yushu earthquake.
中国人民不会忘记,2008年中国遭受特大地震灾害,仅200万人口的赤道几内亚就捐赠了200万欧元,平均每人1欧元。刚果(布)政府在汶川地震后捐赠100万美元,在玉树地震后又捐资200万美元建设了一所小学。非洲人民在自己经济并不富裕的情况下,仍慷慨解囊支援中国人民抗震救灾和灾后重建,这份情谊让中国人民倍感温暖。
In return, China has carried out programs in fields such as food, water supply, women and children's health, and education in 40-plus disaster-stricken African countries, benefiting more than 10 million people, and strongly boosting their economic recovery and social development. In 2019, cyclone Idai swept across Southeast Africa. China provided emergency humanitarian supplies to Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi, and dispatched an international rescue team of 65 members to the severely-stricken Mozambique, treating more than 3,000 locals. At the end of 2019, locusts plagued the Horn of Africa, threatening the livelihoods of more than 30 million people. In early 2020, though hit by Covid-19, China still provided locust-eradication emergency supplies and aid to Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda, and allocated funds from the China-FAO South-South Cooperation Trust Fund to assist the three countries to buy prevention and control supplies and carry on capacity-building activities.
“投之以桃,报之以李”。中国先后在40多个受灾非洲国家实施粮食、供水、妇幼、教育等民生项目,受益人数达1000多万人,有力促进了受灾国的经济恢复和社会发展。2019年,“伊代”飓风席卷东南部非洲。中国向津巴布韦、莫桑比克、马拉维紧急提供人道主义物资援助,并向受灾最严重的莫桑比克派出65人组成的国际救援队,在莫当地治疗3000多人。2019年底,蝗灾袭击非洲之角,地区国家超过3000万人生计受到威胁。2020年初,尽管面临新冠肺炎疫情影响,中国仍紧急向埃塞俄比亚、肯尼亚、乌干达3国提供灭蝗物资援助,并从中国-联合国粮农组织南南合作信托基金中安排援助支持3国购买防控物资和开展能力建设。