Tanzania to continue strengthening ties with China, Belt and Road Initiative plays vital role

A Tanzanian government official said on April 9 that Tanzania will continue to cherish the ties with China by doing all that's necessary to make it work for the best interests of people in both countries.

"This is also possible because our current foreign policy and Chinese foreign policy share one common ideology; respect for each other and cooperation based on a win-win situation," said Hassan Abbasi, director of the Tanzania Information Services and chief government spokesperson. "We all believe in working together for our common good future," he told Xinhua in an exclusive interview in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam.

Abbasi said the cooperation between Tanzania and China has now extended from investments and infrastructure support through the Belt and Road Initiative to people-to-people interactions through cultural and educational exchanges, to tourism and exchange of skills. Last week, Tanzanian Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Palamagamba Kabudi, described China as Tanzania's all weather friend.

"Be it during hard times and during glorious times, China has steadfastly remained Tanzania's friend," said Kabudi at a commemoration event to salute the tragic loss of Chinese workers and technicians who died during the construction of the 1,860 km TAZARA line in the 1970s. The railway connects Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and New Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia. He said the construction of TAZARA, which is also known as the Uhuru Railway, was a very difficult undertaking.

"It was constructed at the time when western countries and the World Bank rebuffed the ideas, claiming that the project was economically not viable," said the minister. Kabudi said during that testing time, China accepted a joint request made by former Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere and former Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda to fund and construct the railway line, Xinhua reported.

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