2026 marks the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and African nations as well as being the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges. In the history of relations between China and Africa, Zimbabwe in the south of the continent and Algeria in the north may both be considered to hold a special place, in that both countries’ protracted and heroic armed struggles for national liberation against settler colonial rule were strongly supported by China from their inception and the three countries have continued to advance hand-in-hand as a community of shared future.
On June 28, Chinese President Xi Jinping replied to a letter he received from a group of veterans of Zimbabwe’s national liberation war.
In his letter, Xi noted that in their youth, the veterans devoted themselves to the great cause of national liberation, left their homelands, and forged with China a profound friendship and comradeship in the struggle. To this day, they remain deeply committed to China-Zimbabwe and China-Africa friendship, which is deeply moving.
Stressing that 2026 marks the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and African nations as well as the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, Xi wrote that over the past 70 years, China has always been a good comrade and partner in Africa’s quest for national liberation, development and rejuvenation and against imperialism and colonialism. He also expressed the hope that the veterans will inspire more African youth to devote themselves to the cause of China-Zimbabwe and China-Africa friendship.
The veterans recently wrote to Xi, expressing gratitude for China’s valuable support for Zimbabwe’s national liberation, admiration for his leadership of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people in achieving remarkable accomplishments in the new era, and for forging a Chinese path to modernisation that offers valuable insights for other developing countries. They expressed pride in the all-weather Zimbabwe-China community with a shared future, pledging to dedicate themselves to carrying forward the friendship between the two countries.
A commentary carried by the Xinhua News Agency recalled that China has firmly supported Africa’s struggle against imperialism and colonialism and the continent’s cause of national liberation. During Zimbabwe’s national liberation struggle in the 1960s and 1970s, many fighters received training in China or from Chinese instructors in Africa, creating enduring stories in the history of the two countries’ relations.
Ahead of his state visit to Zimbabwe in 2015, Xi published a signed article in Zimbabwean media, recalling the profound and time-tested friendship between the two countries.
“During the national liberation struggle in Zimbabwe, the Chinese people steadfastly stood behind the Zimbabwean people as comrades in arms. I was touched to learn that many Zimbabwean freedom fighters who received training from the Chinese side both in China and at Nachingwea camp in Tanzania can still sing songs such as the ‘Three Rules of Discipline and the Eight Points for Attention’,” Xi wrote.
Humphrey Makuyana, one of the veterans, told Xinhua that: “We wanted to write to President Xi to tell him that we will never forget this experience, nor will we ever forget the friendship between Zimbabwe and China.”
According to Makuyana, the training he received from Chinese instructors deepened his understanding of the bond between the army and the people. “We were the fish, and the people were the water in which we should live.”
Another veteran, William Murumbuzi noted that China has consistently advocated common development with its African partners, and that Chinese technologies and experience are helping African countries, including Zimbabwe, create jobs and improve people’s livelihoods.
“This model of mutually beneficial cooperation has enabled us to feel what a shared future truly means, and it has strengthened my confidence in Africa and China advancing toward modernisation hand in hand.”
Meanwhile, on January 31, in a striking demonstration of “advancing towards modernisation hand in hand”, China launched an Algerian remote sensing satellite from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China.
The Algerian satellite will be primarily used for land planning and disaster prevention and mitigation and the launch marked the 629th mission of China’s Long March rocket series.
The same day, President Xi Jinping and his Algerian counterpart, Abdelmadjid Tebboune exchanged congratulations on the successful launch.
Noting that China-Algeria relations have made significant progress in recent years, with continuously strengthened political mutual trust and fruitful practical cooperation, Xi said he attaches great importance to the development of China-Algeria ties and is willing to work with President Tebboune to continuously enrich the comprehensive strategic partnership, so as to better benefit the people of both countries.
Tebboune, for his part, said the successful launch of the Algerian remote sensing satellite is another substantial achievement in aerospace cooperation between Algeria and China, and a new milestone in the development of bilateral relations, which will help both sides expand cooperation prospects.
The following articles were originally published by the Xinhua News Agency.
Xi replies to veterans of Zimbabwe’s national liberation war
BEIJING, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday replied to veterans of Zimbabwe’s national liberation war.
In his letter, Xi noted that in their youth, the veterans devoted themselves to the great cause of national liberation, left their homelands, and forged with China a profound friendship and comradeship in the struggle.
To this day, they remain deeply committed to China-Zimbabwe and China-Africa friendship, which is deeply moving, Xi said.
Xi stressed that 2026 marks the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and African nations as well as the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges. Over the past 70 years, he added, China has always been a good comrade and partner in Africa’s quest for national liberation, development and rejuvenation.
China and its African friends have respected and supported each other, weathered arduous times together, and jointly embarked on a new journey toward modernization, Xi noted.
Xi said that China stands ready to take the implementation of the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation as an opportunity to carry forward the traditional friendship with the African side and jointly create an even brighter future for China-Africa relations.
He also expressed the hope that the veterans will inspire more African youth to devote themselves to the cause of China-Zimbabwe and China-Africa friendship.
As the Chinese New Year of the Horse approaches, Xi said he hopes China and Africa will carry forward the tireless spirit symbolized by the dragon and the horse, work together to build an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era, and write a new chapter in China-Africa friendship.
After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, China firmly supported Africa’s struggles against imperialism and colonialism and its pursuit of national liberation.
The veterans recently wrote to Xi, expressing gratitude for China’s valuable support for Zimbabwe’s national liberation, admiration for his leadership of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people in achieving remarkable accomplishments in the new era, and for forging a Chinese path to modernization that offers valuable insights for other developing countries.
They expressed pride in the all-weather Zimbabwe-China community with a shared future, pledging to dedicate themselves to carrying forward the friendship between the two countries.
Xi’s message to Zimbabwean veterans highlights enduring China-Africa friendship
HARARE, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) — “China has always been a good comrade and partner in Africa’s quest for national liberation, development and rejuvenation,” Chinese President Xi Jinping wrote on Wednesday in a reply letter to veterans of Zimbabwe’s national liberation war.
In his letter, Xi noted that in their youth, the veterans devoted themselves to the great cause of national liberation, left their homelands, and forged with China a profound friendship and comradeship in the struggle.
The profound friendship and earnest expectations conveyed in the letter have greatly inspired Zimbabwean veterans and evoked warm responses across Africa, resonating deeply with the two peoples’ shared aspiration to work together to build an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era and to write a new chapter in China-Africa friendship.
LASTING FRIENDSHIP
China has firmly supported Africa’s struggle against imperialism and colonialism and the continent’s cause of national liberation. During Zimbabwe’s national liberation struggle in the 1960s and 1970s, many fighters received training in China or from Chinese instructors in Africa, creating enduring stories in the history of the two countries’ relations.
Ahead of his state visit to Zimbabwe in 2015, Xi published a signed article in Zimbabwean media, recalling the profound and time-tested friendship between the two countries.
“During the national liberation struggle in Zimbabwe, the Chinese people steadfastly stood behind the Zimbabwean people as comrades in arms. I was touched to learn that many Zimbabwean freedom fighters who received training from the Chinese side both in China and at Nachingwea camp in Tanzania can still sing songs such as the ‘Three Rules of Discipline and the Eight Points for Attention’,” Xi wrote.
William Murumbuzi, a Zimbabwean veteran, told Xinhua that he was deeply impressed by Xi’s signed article in 2015 and felt excited to participate in writing the letter to Xi and receive a reply from him.
“For many years, President Xi has kept this friendship close to his heart. His reply makes us feel deeply honored and moved,” he said.
“We wanted to write to President Xi to tell him that we will never forget this experience, nor will we ever forget the friendship between Zimbabwe and China,” Humphrey Makuyana, another veteran, told Xinhua in an interview.
According to Makuyana, the training he received from Chinese instructors deepened his understanding of the bond between the army and the people. “We were the fish, and the people were the water in which we should live.”
“Though separated by thousands of miles, our hearts have always been connected, and justice and dignity remain the umbilical bond between our two peoples,” the veterans wrote in the letter to Xi.
In his reply letter, Xi expressed the hope that the veterans will inspire more African youth to devote themselves to the cause of China-Zimbabwe and China-Africa friendship.
“CHINA ALWAYS DELIVERS ON ITS COMMITMENTS”
During the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing, China and Zimbabwe signed a series of cooperation documents in the presence of the two heads of state.
After retiring from military service, Murumbuzi has been working for a private company and has maintained close cooperation with Chinese partners, giving him firsthand insight into the implementation of the summit outcomes.
He noted that China has consistently advocated common development with its African partners, and that Chinese technologies and experience are helping African countries, including Zimbabwe, create jobs and improve people’s livelihoods.
“This model of mutually beneficial cooperation has enabled us to feel what a shared future truly means, and it has strengthened my confidence in Africa and China advancing toward modernization hand in hand,” he said.
Two years ago, Zindi, a village in Zimbabwe’s Mashonaland Central Province, was a poor community plagued by water and electricity shortages. Today, the China-Zimbabwe agricultural cooperation demonstration village has undergone a striking transformation: solar-powered water pumps now provide a steady supply of clean water, while greenhouse facilities for scientific seed breeding complement green maize fields.
According to Weveson Zindi, the village head, the advanced farming and livestock-breeding techniques introduced by Chinese agricultural experts have significantly improved villagers’ living conditions.
“When it comes to China and Africa working hand in hand, it’s basically leaving no one behind, and this is what China has been trying to do over the years,” said Dennis Munene Mwaniki, executive director of the China-Africa Center at Kenya’s Africa Policy Institute.
“PARTNERSHIP THAT ENRICHES OUR LIVES”
In his reply letter, Xi stressed that 2026 marks the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and African nations as well as the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges.
“President Xi has always attached great importance to people-to-people exchanges between China and Africa,” said Didier Dieudonne Nama, national pedagogic inspector of Chinese Language in the Ministry of Secondary Education of Cameroon, adding that as people-to-people exchanges deepen, the peoples of China and Africa will grow closer and more tightly connected.
Activities marking the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges have already begun, which are expected to deepen mutual understanding and friendship between the Chinese and African peoples through exchanges in various fields and inject fresh momentum into building a closer China-Africa community with a shared future.
“President Xi always values the bonds between the peoples of China and Africa,” said Humphrey Moshi, director of the Center for Chinese Studies at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. “China is our true friend and a true brother.”
“As we mark 70 years of China-Africa diplomatic ties, we celebrate a partnership that enriches our lives, a partnership of life-transforming people-to-people exchanges,” said Herbert Mushangwe, a professor at the Confucius Institute at the University of Zimbabwe.
China launches satellite for Algeria
JIUQUAN, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) — China launched an Algerian remote sensing satellite from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Saturday.
A Long March-2C carrier rocket lifted off from the launch center at 12:01 p.m. (Beijing Time), successfully sending the satellite into its planned orbit.
The Algerian satellite will be primarily used for land planning and disaster prevention and mitigation.
Saturday’s launch marked the 629th mission of China’s Long March rocket series.
Xi, Algerian president exchange congratulations over successful launch of Algerian satellite
BEIJING, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday exchanged congratulations with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune over the successful launch of an Algerian remote sensing satellite from Jiuquan in northwest China.
Xi said the Algerian remote sensing satellite project, following the launch of the Algerian communication satellite, is another successful cooperation between China and Algeria in the aerospace field, and is an important manifestation of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Algeria.
Noting that China-Algeria relations have made significant progress in recent years, with continuously strengthened political mutual trust and fruitful practical cooperation, Xi said he attaches great importance to the development of China-Algeria ties and is willing to work with President Tebboune to continuously enrich the comprehensive strategic partnership, so as to better benefit the people of both countries.
Tebboune, for his part, said the successful launch of the Algerian remote sensing satellite is another substantial achievement in aerospace cooperation between Algeria and China, and a new milestone in the development of bilateral relations, which will help both sides expand cooperation prospects.
Algeria is willing to continue to deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership with China, he added.
