BEIJING — As an African proverb goes, "a friend is someone you share the path with". In the shared pursuit of modernization of the Global South, China and Africa have stood together as companions over the years.

Themed "Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future", the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, which attracted over 50 African leaders, highlighted the common pursuit of China and African countries in realizing modernization.

Monument of friendship

The China-Africa community with a shared future is deeply rooted in the traditional friendship between the two sides.

During the 1970s, a pivotal period for the economic development of Tanzania and Zambia, some 50,000 Chinese workers and engineers came to help construct the Tanzania-Zambia Railway.

In the past five decades, 70 Chinese engineers, technicians, and workers lost their lives in railway construction, technical cooperation, and other projects in Tanzania. To honor their contributions, a monument has been erected at the Gongo la Mboto cemetery in Tanzania.

The 1,860-kilometer railway serves as a reminder of the longstanding relationship between China and Africa. As time passes, the China-Africa friendship remains robust and grows stronger no matter how the world changes.

Issa Fatimoh Abiola, Nigeria's first female train engineer, has worked with China Railway Construction Corp for 16 years. Reflecting on Chinese President Xi Jinping's keynote speech on modernization at the opening ceremony of the 2024 FOCAC Summit, she recalled CRCC's significant contributions to Nigeria's modernization.

"The CRCC has been deeply involved in Nigeria for 43 years, contributing tremendously to the country's transportation and infrastructure modernization," Abiola said.

"Since joining the company in 2008, I have witnessed the successful implementation of numerous landmark projects, including the Lekki Free Trade Zone, Abuja-Kaduna Railway, Lagos-Ibadan Railway, Abuja Light Rail, Lagos Blue Line, as well as 'small and beautiful' livelihood projects that directly benefit people's livelihoods."

Victoriah Mukiri, a legal adviser for China Railway No 10 Engineering Group Co Ltd, has worked with the company for 17 years. Touched by Xi's remarks to "jointly advance modernization that is open and win-win," Mukiri noted how her company expanded from a few projects to multiple regional ventures in Kenya, ranging from highways to municipal, housing, and mining construction. The company has trained batches of technicians, created thousands of jobs, and significantly improved Kenya's infrastructure.

As President Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of Congo said at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summit of the FOCAC, "China remains an all-time friend." He added that Africa and China are drawing closer through shared history, values and solidarity, and their joint modernization efforts reflect a mutual commitment to prosperity and peace.