Jacques Jean Luc Nyanga, Ambassador of the Republic of the Congo to China (Photo by Lu Ningyuan/People's Daily)

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“I am quite familiar with China,” Jacques Jean Luc Nyanga, Ambassador of the Republic of the Congo to China, said in his recent interview with us. Nyanga came into office as Ambassador of the Republic of the Congo to China in August, 2022, yet that was not his first visit to China. He used to serve as counsellor in the embassy in China, which is unforgettable to him. “China is vast. I have been to Guangdong, Hainan, Henan and other places in China. I find visits to these provinces quite fascinating,” he said.

“China's vibrancy is visible”

Talking about his experience in China, Jacques Nyanga observed that he was most impressed by “China's ability to feed its people”. China's total output of grain in 2022 was 686.53 million tons, exceeding 650 million tons mark for eight consecutive years. China is fully self-sufficient in food supply. Jacques Nyanga said that the Republic of the Congo spends hundreds of millions of dollars on imported grains annually, and thus improving agricultural mechanization is much more urgently needed. “We hope to learn China's experiences and find solutions to self-sufficiency in food supply.”

Today, Chinese people not only “feed themselves” but “feed themselves well”, and this ever better living standards impress Nyanga a lot. “China is good at seizing development opportunities and China's vibrancy is visible.” “We need to get inspirations from China's development. China's path inspires many countries to strive for development,” Nyanga added.

Chinese modernization has become a buzz word in the international community. Nyanga believed that the theory of Chinese modernization has vital significance. Modernization has no fixed pattern. On the way toward modernization, countries need to take into account their cultural factors and choose a development path suitable for their national conditions. “In the past, western colonists imposed their democratic institutions on Africa irrespective of its conditions and cultural factors. That's why western democracy has rendered so many problems there. We in the Republic of the Congo should have our own modernization.”

International students from the Republic of the Congo are explaining the creative ideas and the meaning of their Chinese wood carvings to the audience in Chinese. （Photo by Hu Yanghui/People's Daily)

“We saw China's benevolence”

Nyanga is a witness to China's development and is personally involved in deepening the friendship of the two countries. In March, 2013, President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to the Republic of the Congo, the first by a Chinese head of state since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1964. The entire country was immersed in jubilant celebration. “I, then Director General of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Foreign Ministry, was there on scene. The Republic of the Congo was among the three African countries in President Xi Jinping's first overseas trip after assuming the presidency. It's a privilege for us and a testament to our profound bilateral friendship,” said Nyanga.

A decade later, Nyanga still finds the visit of President Xi Jinping vivid in his mind. During that visit, President Xi and President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the China-Republic of Congo Friendship Hospital in Brazzaville, the capital. The ceremony was held in joyful background music, songs and dances. Local people had good reasons to be joyful as the hospital was the first general hospital in its district. In the past, there was only one clinic, short of doctors and medicines. Now the hospital has become one of the most popular nationwide. “The China-Republic of Congo Friendship Hospital has greatly improved the medical services in Brazzaville. It is modern and provides affordable medical services, with which we have accumulated experiences of cooperating with China. It is a prime example of the healthcare cooperation between the two countries,” said Nyanga.

Apart from the hospital, China has been sending medical teams to the Republic of the Congo. Starting from 1967, China has sent 934 medical personnel in 29 batches. They have treated nearly 5 million local people and conducted about 150,000 operations. Nyanga said, “Our people speak highly of Chinese medical team. I am impressed by the cataract surgeries conducted by them. I want to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt appreciation to China. We highly appreciate the dedication of the Chinese medical team，” Nyanga will not forget that at the critical moment of fight against COVID-19 pandemic, China lent a timely hand to the Republic of the Congo. He said that in the face of the pandemic, some developed countries cared only about self-preservation, while China was the first to think of Africa and sent various anti-pandemic supplies and COVID-19 vaccines. “In this pandemic, we see China's benevolence, which is in strong contrast to other countries, and that touched me a lot.”

In Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo, students at the Confucius Institute of the Marien Ngouabi University are looking up words in a dictionary before their Chinese class.（Photo by Meng Chenguang/Xinhua)

“China helps Africa wholeheartedly”

China brings health to households of the Republic of the Congo and creates opportunities for social and economic development there. In Dolisie, the third largest city of the Republic of the Congo, there is a statue of “mountain chopper”, which is erected by local people to show respect and gratitude to the Chinese for building the No. 1 National Highway. It takes eight years to build the highway that runs over 500 kilometers. It stretches across the intimidating Mayombe primeval forest, grasslands and swamps, connecting Brazzaville with the economic hub Pointe-Noire and making the Congolese dream of several generations come true.

Nyanga observed that the highway has improved the weak link of the country's outdated and worn-out railway, and connected Brazzaville with Pointe-Noire directly. In the past, these was a lack of railway transport capacity towards Pointe-Noire, the transport industry of which sustained the lives of many. The highway has significantly improved the transport in Pointe-Noire and is frequently used now. “The No. 1 National Highway opens new horizons for Congolese social and economic development,” said Nyanga.

It's easy to find fruits of cooperation between China and the Republic of the Congo. The twin-tower of the Brazzaville Business Center, the new parliament building, the Imboulou hydroelectric power plant, the Kintele Sports Complex in Brazzaville designed to be a golden sun, the Banga Kayo oil field, the Pointe-Noire Special Economic Zone, to name but a few. “These projects have transformed the landscape of the Republic of the Congo and brought about revolutionary changes to the country. The transformations happened in the country in recent years are attributed mostly to its cooperation with China, and the Belt and Road Initiative is vital,” Nyanga said that multilateralism is disrupted in today's world and that makes China's ideas and initiatives more remarkable because China helps the Republic of the Congo as well as the entire Africa wholeheartedly. Making those ideas and initiatives understood by more people is not only China's mission, but also the responsibility of all African countries, including the Republic of the Congo.

By He Lie | Haiwainet

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