Two lands can help each other 'realize a dream'

China and Senegal will continue to benefit from their relationship, and a consolidated mutual trust would enhance the countries' future development goals, said Chinese ambassador to Senegal Xia Huang.

"Senegal and China share the same historical experiences and now face the same challenge to realize a dream of building a prosperous country and the livelihood of their people," Xia said.

"Senegal has a vision to become an emerging country and China has its dream to revive, so we must consider how we can add reliance and beauty to each other's visions by enhancing mutual understanding and trust."

Xia said as Africa's biggest trading partner, China has brought real benefits to the continent and should provide increased technology and financial support through trade and business.

"China's sees its relationship with Africa as a win-win. Our development will help accelerate Africa's development," he said.

"This visit should show that, first, China places high importance on its relationship with Africa. Developing countries are the foundation of China's foreign policy and Africa has the most developing countries in the world," he said. "It should also show that China-Senegal relations are increasingly important."

He said Senegal is a politically influential country and has been active in world affairs although it is limited in the way of population, economy and geographic size.

He said when Chinese investors come to invest in Senegal, they have to be careful about the differences between French-speaking and English-speaking African countries.

"They have significantly different relationships with English-speaking countries, where the judicial and administrative frameworks that originated from Britain are significantly different than in French-speaking countries," he said. "You have to identify these differences and be prepared, otherwise you'll fail in most French-speaking countries."

At 3,000, the Chinese community in Senegal is relatively small compared to some English-speaking African countries. Most Chinese in the country are involved in the fishing industry, infrastructure construction, agriculture and medical care.

lilianxing@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 02/20/2014 page11)