China has played a pivotal role in peaceful development around the globe by strengthening China-Africa cooperation and promoting peace and security among Global South partners, said Cameroon's Defense Minister Joseph Beti Assomo during the Beijing Xiangshan Forum.
The 11th Beijing Xiangshan Forum is being held in the Chinese capital from Thursday to Saturday.
With the theme of "Promoting Peace for a Shared Future," this year's forum involved more than 500 representatives from official delegations of more than 100 countries and international organizations, as well as more than 200 Chinese and foreign experts and scholars. Among them, the official delegation includes more than 30 defense ministers and military chiefs.
Prior to the Xiangshang Forum, Assomo had participated in the 2024 Summit of Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which ran from Sept 4 to 6 in Beijing. Both forums, he said in an exclusive interview with China Central Television (CCTV), have demonstrated how China creates opportunities for peace across Africa, the most critical premise for the continent's development.
"You see the theme of this event, as on the wall, 'Promoting Peace for a Shared Future', promoting peace. When there is war somewhere, development is not possible. There are many wars in Africa, so we expect more and more close cooperation between China and Africa, so that we can give peace a chance everywhere in Africa. And I think you are working in that way and you are succeeding," he said.
The defense minister stressed that more developed countries have a responsibility to help underdeveloped countries achieve common prosperity instead of creating barriers and wars.
"You have a Global South, it means we also have a Global North. So, if we can work hand-in-hand for all humanity so that those who have power, economical, political, or diplomatic power, can work hand-in-hand with those who are not developed or who are poor, so that there could be human solidarity. We have that dream, and we are doing that with China," he said.
Initiated in 2006, the Beijing Xiangshan Forum is a high-level platform dedicated to promoting exchanges and cooperation among defense authorities, armed forces, international organizations and scholars.
Dream of human solidarity forms basis for China-Global South cooperation: Cameroonian minister
Wang Xiuying, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) from Liaoning, on Tuesday highlighted the achievements in the northeastern Chinese province's desertification control efforts over the years.
In an interview with the press ahead of the closing meeting of the third session of the 14th NPC on Tuesday, Wang, also an agronomist of the Agricultural Economic Management Station in Liaoning's Zhangwu County, shared her experiences in sand control in the Horqin sandy land, China's largest sandy area.
"We have explored and implemented a series of integrated management models, using trees, grasses, water projects and photovoltaic projects to stabilize the sand. So far, the Three-North Shelter Forest Program has advanced 13 kilometers into the core area of the Horqin sandy land. The average wind speed has decreased from 3.4 meters per second in the 1950s to 1.9 meters per second now. By doing so, we have effectively prevented the southward expansion of the Horqin sandy land, thus safeguarding the ecological security of Liaoning and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region," said Wang.
In addition to the efforts in desertification control, Wang and her team have also developed new crop varieties with high yields, helping local farmers to achieve greater prosperity.
"With crop rotation and fallow models and photovoltaic projects, we have applied multiple technologies to deliver tangible benefits for local farmers with increased farmland yields. Our team has been responsible for the demonstration area of the country's first corn yield improvement project, where we successfully grew corn with high yields on sandy land, achieving a yield of over 2,000 jin per mu (about 15,000 kg per hectare) for two consecutive years. We have gradually realized the long-awaited dream of transforming sandy land into fertile farmland," she said.
Since being an NPC deputy in 2023, She has submitted proposals on sand control and ecological protection.
"After conducting thorough research, I submitted a proposal on implementing pilot photovoltaic projects for sand control and ecological restoration, which was subsequently adopted by the relevant authorities. We have planned a provincial-level demonstration area for systematic management along the southern edge of the Horqin sandy land, and two demonstration zones focused on comprehensive management: one for the integrated management of mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes, grasslands, and deserts, and another for the treatment of sandy land along the Liuhe River. Through these efforts, we have gradually achieved the governance objectives of conserving water, combating desertification, preserving fertile land, and safeguarding the ecosystem," said Wang.
Lawmaker highlights achievements in Liaoning's anti-desertification drive
