Silence Charumbira
The achievements that Lesotho and China cooperation has registered over the years are a testament of deep friendship and in-depth development of strategic partnership, China’s Ambassador to Lesotho, Yang Xiaokun, has said.
Ambassador Yang said this during the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China in Maseru on Wednesday.
He said he was deeply touched by attending the recent Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing.
“The achievements of China-Africa and China-Lesotho cooperation are hard-won. Over the years, the infrastructure, food, water and electricity, healthcare, education, and other livelihood projects started by China in Lesotho have truly benefited both countries and their peoples. These tangible achievements are the fruits and testament of the deep friendship between the two brother and comrade countries; this impressive report card is also the best witness to the deep-rooted and in-depth development of the strategic partnership between China and Lesotho,” Ambassador Yang said.
Prime Minister Samuel Matekane’s recent visit to Beijing for the Summit was also a huge success. During the visit, Matekane met several times “with China’s leaders including President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang to jointly draw the blueprint for China-Lesotho and China-Africa cooperation”.
“The visit was a great success. Both sides decided to elevate the China-Lesotho relationship to a strategic partnership, injecting strong impetus into its development and marking a new milestone in its history. During the summit, China and Lesotho reached important consensuses on practical cooperation in various fields including energy, agriculture, infrastructure, and people-to-people exchanges, which will surely open up a broader space for mutual beneficial cooperation and joint pursuit of modernisation.”
He said China’s President Xi Jinping’s proposal to build a community with a shared future for mankind had pointed out the right direction for the world.
“In the face major changes unseen in a century and an unstable global landscape, President Xi Jinping, standing at the height of humanity’s future, proposed the major initiative of building a community with a shared future for mankind and the three global initiatives, “which have pointed out the right direction for the world standing at a crossroad and illuminated the way forward for people of all countries to jointly overcome obstacles and create a new future featuring development and prosperity”.”
This year marked the 30th anniversary of the resumption of diplomatic relations between China and Lesotho and over the past three decades, under the strategic guidance of leaders from both sides and with the joint efforts of the two peoples, “our friendly and cooperative relationship has grown stronger over time, making substantial progress”.
“Our political mutual trust has kept growing, practical cooperation in all fields has yielded fruitful results, and people-to-people exchanges have become increasingly frequent and close. Our bilateral relationship has withstood international changes across centuries, and is now leading the times with great strides, becoming a fine example of mutual respect and win-win cooperation between countries with different systems.
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“The past is merely a prologue. The people of China and Lesotho are good friends, good partners, and good brothers. China is willing to work with Lesotho, guided by deepening and expanding the strategic partnership between the two countries, adhering to the principles of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith, and of pursuing the greater good and shared interests, to unite as one and forge ahead together, making greater contributions to building a China-Lesotho community with a shared future and an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for a new era,” he said.
With Lesotho celebrating its 58th independence on 4 October 2024, President Xi had already sent a congratulatory letter to His Majesty King Letsie III.
“I would like to take this opportunity, on behalf of the Chinese government and the Chinese people, to once again extend the warmest wishes to the government and the people of Lesotho.
“Lastly, I propose that we all raise our glasses to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the 58th anniversary of Lesotho’s independence, and the 30th anniversary of the resumption of diplomatic relations between China and Lesotho. May China and Lesotho enjoy prosperity and their peoples well-being! May China-Lesotho relations a brighter future! May all the guests and your families good health and happiness,” Ambassador Lei said.
