Thursday June 23, 2022
Mohamud Abdi Hassan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs met with Amb. Xue Bing, Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Affairs of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Source: Chinese Embassy in Somalia
Xue Bing, the special envoy for the Horn of Africa Affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has reiterated China’s resolve to continue supporting Horn of Africa (HOA) countries in their efforts toward sustainable peace, security and regional development.
The Chinese special envoy made the remarks as China and countries in the region began the First China-Horn of Africa Peace, Good Governance and Development Conference Monday
China will continue to support countries in the region to uphold the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security; protect regional peace and security; and silence the guns in the Horn of Africa, Xue told ministers and senior officials attending the peace conference in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.
The two-day conference, which ended Tuesday, brought together ministers and high-level representatives of Horn of Africa countries of Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Uganda and Djibouti.
Addressing the conference, Xue underscored China’s readiness to support HOA countries to focus on development, accelerate regional integration, enhance connectivity, boost home-grown economic development, explore complementarity among one another, and step up cooperation in areas including agriculture, trade, manufacturing and infrastructure with a view to foster industrial and economic belt areas and create more jobs and growth.
Xue emphasized the notable potential of the HOA, which is home to about 300 million people, as an intersection to the eastern and western civilizations with a unique geographical location and abundant natural endowments.
He, however, noted that peace and development of the region are put into a challenge in recent times, which necessitates building lasting regional peace and development.
He said China, as a good partner of countries in the region, put forth the Outlook on Peace and Development in the HOA early this year based on the region’s reality and past experience.
The outlook is aimed at supporting countries in the region to steer clear of external interference, respond to the triple challenges of security, development and governance; and realize peace, development and prosperity, Xue said.