Lianghui,ortheTwoSessionsoftheNationalPeople鈥檚CongressandtheNationalCommitteeoftheChinesePeople鈥檚PoliticalConsultativeConference,arethelandmarksinChina鈥檚annualpoliticalcalendar.Thelianghuithisyear,whichwereheldfromMarch3to20,havewitnessedgreatachievements,suchastheelectionofnewleadership,constitutionalamendmentsandstateinstitutionalrestructuringarrangement.Thesearekeenlywatchedbymediaathomeandabroad.ChinAfricacaughtupwithfourAfricanjournalistswhoareinBeijingtoreportonthelianghui.Editedexcerptsoftheirthoughtsandexpectationsonproceedingsfollow:
TrixIngado
JournalistwithKenyaTelevisionNetwork
Mymaininteresthereishow[whatChinadoes]affectsAfrica,becauseChinaistryingtoforgelinkswithmanycountries,[oneofthosebeing]mycountryKenya.KenyahasbeenworkingcloselywithChinainthepastfewyears,andwehavethe[Nairobi-Mombasa]StandardGaugeRailwayprojectandotherprojectsgoingon.SowhateverisdecidedatthelianghuithisyearwillbeveryimportantforKenyaaswell.IamquiteinterestedinChina鈥檚economicdevelopment,becauseKenyaisadevelopingcountry.IwanttoknowhowthebilateralrelationsbetweenChinaandKenyaaregoingtohelpKenyaevenmorethantheprojectsthathavehappenedsofar.Inaddition,I鈥檓interestedinChineseculture,andtofindouthowitiscomparedtomyownculture,whatIcanlearn,andhowitcanchangemyperspectiveasapersonandajournalist.Chinesecultureisvast-youhaveinterestingfood,interestingsocialrelations,andespeciallythewayChinesepeopleworkisverydifferent.I鈥檇lovetoknowhowpeopleworkinChina,thekindofsocialrelations[theyhave],whatpeoplevaluehere,theteamworkspirit,andI鈥檇alsoliketolearnaboutancientChinesethingsthatarestillpresentanddictatehowthingshappeninChinatoday.DuringmystayinChina,I鈥檇liketointerviewprofessorsineconomics,theministerofcommerceandministerofforeignaffairsjusttofindouthowtheyareplanningtoworkfurtherwithKenyaandwhattheirplansareforthefuture.WeknowKenyahasbeenborrowingfromChinatofunditsowndevelopmentplans,soI鈥檇liketogetanoverviewfromthepeople[involvedintheseplans]onhowthesetwocountriescankeepworkingtogether.
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AdrianBwanika
JournalistwithVisionGroupofUganda
ThisismyfirsttimeinChina.Here,[atthelianghui]IexpecttoseehowChineseareorganizedpoliticallysothatwecanlearnlessonsfromthem,andtrytoemulatethem,andthenasjournaliststrytoseduceourleadersonhowbestsocietiescanbegoverned.ThemostimportanttopicIwanttoknowaboutisChina鈥檚economicdevelopment-weneedtoknowabouttheeconomiccooperationbetweenChinaandmostAfricancountries.Anothertopicisculture-Chinesearerichinculture,soweneedtolearnabouthowChinesekeeptheirculture[alive].Chineseareverypatrioticpeople,theyarepeoplewholovetheircountryandtheirnation,soweneedtocopysomethingsaboutChinese[culture]andseeifwecanuseittomakeAfricagreat.
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AmatijaneCande
JournalistwithGuinea-BissauTV
ThisisnotmyfirsttimeinChina.IwasherelastyearinSeptember.InmycountryandacrossAfrica,tolookforinformationonChina,weneedtosearchonWesternmedia,whichshowsChinaasaveryclosedcountry.ThefirsttimeIcameherewaswiththatimpression.ButInoticedChinaisanopencountry,soIthinkImustintroducetherealChinatomyaudience.
Keepingthisinmymind,duringthelianghui,thetopicsthatinterestmeandmyaudienceareforeignaffairs,internationalcooperation,constitutionalamendmentsandalsothesocialismwithChinesecharacteristics.
Chinahasbeenshowingthatdemocracyisnotone-size-fits-all.TheWesthasitsowngoverningsystem,butChinahasshowntotheworldthatthissocialismwithChinesecharacteristicscanworkandithasshownverygoodresultsintermsoflivingconditionsandbuildingaprosperoussociety.
Duringthelianghui,IalsolistenedcarefullytoChineseForeignMinisterWangYi鈥檚remarksonChina-Africarelations.IthinkhedeliveredaverystrongmessageforAfricaasawholeand[also]forcertaincountries.China,inthepast15years,hasbecomeastrategicpartnerofAfricanstatesandparticularlymycountry.
Togiveyouanexample,themostrelevantpublicinfrastructureinmycountrywasbuiltthankstothebilateralcooperationwithChina.ThebilateralcooperationbetweenChinaandGuinea-BissauhasimpactedpositivelyonthelivingconditionsoftheGuineanpopulation.Oneofthemainstrategicsectorsofdevelopmentinmycountryisagriculture,andourmainallyinthisdevelopmentisChina.
TheSummitoftheForumonChinaAfricaCooperation(FOCAC)willbeheldinSeptemberinBeijingthisyear.I鈥檓expectingthatimportantdeliberationswillcomeoutofFOCAC,anditwillallowChinatoenhanceitsmultilateralcooperationwiththewholecontinentandtostrengthenbilateralrelationswithcertainAfricancountries.IthinkChinahasbecomeastrategicpartnerofdevelopmentforAfricaasawholeandformycountryinparticular,sowehopethisFOCACwillstrengthenalltheseaspects[Imentioned].
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LaetitiaMelidor
JournalistwithL鈥橢xpressduGroupeLaSentinelleofMauritius
Duringthelianghui,ChineseForeignMinisterWangYimetthepressandmadecommentsonChina-Africarelations.Itisimpressive.Hismessageisreassuring.HetalkedabouttheneedtostrengthenrelationsandfriendshipbetweenAfricaandChina,especiallybecauseofChina鈥檚presenceontheAfricancontinent.ChinesecompaniesareinvolvedinseveralAfricancountriesinvarioussectors,includingtelecommunications,naturalresources,financeandtrade,whichhasresultedinquitealotofcriticismfromtheWest.
Soit鈥檚reassuringtoseethatdespitesuchcriticism,theChineseforeignministersaidthatonthecontrary,theserelationshipsareboundtobedeepenedandimproved.
Oneofthetopicsthatinterestmeispoverty,andhowChinamanagedtoreducepoverty,bothdomesticallyandglobally,becausethedecreaseinpovertyinChinainevitablyimpactstheworldpovertylevel.IamalsointerestedinthedevelopmentofChina鈥檚infrastructure.ChinaisalsoassistingAfricanandAsiancountrieswiththeirinfrastructurelevelsbyprovidingitsexpertise,whilebuildinglinkswithothercountriesthroughitspolicyofopenness,includingtheBeltandRoadInitiative.
IntermsofChina-Africacooperation,Ithinkourbilateralcooperationismostlylimitedtoindustrialandcommercialsectors.Ithinkitwouldbenicetohavemoreculturalandtouristexchanges.Forexample,inMauritius,themajorityofourtouristarrivalscomefromChina.
Butwehavenoticedthatoverthelastthreeyears,therewasadropintouristarrivals.SoweshouldresearchwhyadecliningnumberofChinesearecomingtovisitAfricancountries,andhowtoimproveandchangethissituation.
Onaculturallevel,alargeproportionoftheMauritianpopulationisofChineseorigins.WehaveChinatownsandtraditionaldancesandsoon.Sodeepeningculturalexchangesbetweenourcountrieswouldbeagoodwaytodeepenourbilateralunderstanding.ScanQRcodetowatchthevideooftheinterview