- Madame Fu Ying, Former Vice Foreign Minister;
- Excellencies;
- Academia;
- All protocol observed.
In a rapidly globalizing world where technology and economies are in constant flux, the movement and migration of people create a blurring effect on geographical borders, while global imbalances stretch political boundaries. An intensification of a global polycrisis, entangles us in ways that highlight our interconnected social, political and economic layers, but also compels us to critically examine the causal pathways of such a polycrisis. We are left asking the question, who reaps the benefits from the current system of global governance?
Reimagining a system of global governance that serves all life on Earth, represents a defining challenge and aspiration of our time. It is an opportunity to decide which values are important to us and at the same time underscores an urgency to adopt an approach towards equitable and inclusive economic growth. Thus, leaders and societies are called upon to address global issues with a human-centred purpose, which also ensures sustainability.
Peace and political stability is a precondition that creates an enabling environment for trade and development. Simultaneously, trade and development contribute to fostering peace and stability, therefore creating a more positive and inclusive cycle of growth for industrialisation. And so, advancing peaceful coexistence through industrialisation, positions the aspects of international trade agreements and foreign investment, as significant catalysts for the kind of change that propels inclusive growth.
By investing in infrastructure, the AFRICAN CONTINENTAL FREE TRADE AGREEMENT holds the potential to contribute significantly towards industrialisation in Africa. This kind of economic empowerment has the capability to improve Africa’s participation in the global market.
Catalytic projects such as the Belt and Road Initiative advance the potential for interconnectivity within the AFRICAN CONTINENTAL FREE TRADE AREA, and therefore highlight the significance of China-Africa relations, cooperation and joint contribution. The Belt and Road Initiative itself enables and enhances the movement of people and goods across borders, and therefore allows for more inclusive industrialisation.
These Principles provide a solid basis for cooperation and mutual development to sharpen our focus on creating a system of global governance that promotes and prioritises equitable and inclusive growth and industrialisation, while fostering sustainable prosperity for all.
Thank you.
