Secretary General of the Mozambique Liberation Front speaks in the 5th Wanshou Lecture at SISU

Secretary General of the Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO) Roque Silva Samuel visited the Songjiang Campus of Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) on January 10, 2019, and delivered a keynote speech titled “Strive to Achieve Shared Goals” in the 5thWanshou Lecture, which was organized by SISU and hosted by the Research Office of the International Department, Central Committee of CPC (IDCPC). SISU’s University Council Chair Jiang Feng met with the delegation from Mozambique, and they were also joined by Huang Yihua, deputy director general of the Research Office of the IDCPC, and Fu Jihong, deputy director general of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government.

Secretary General Silva Samuel expressed his delight in being able to visit SISU and exchange ideas with teachers and students here. In the keynote speech, he stressed that despite the great geographical distance between the two countries, China and Mozambique had a time-honored friendship as the two peoples started trading hundreds of years ago. Along the ancient maritime Silk Road that stretched to Mozambique, Chinese merchants already brought silk and tea leaves to the people there. During the Mozambican War of Independence, China stood firmly with the Mozambicans, and since the country won its independence in 1975, China has continued to lend great support to it. Over the recent years, exchanges and cooperation between the two countries have successfully translated into remarkable achievements in various fields. A point worth mentioning is that Sino-Mozambican relations have been built on an equal footing to achieve a win-win situation. Since China and Africa have much in common in terms of development ideas, Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era serves as important guidance for China-Africa cooperation. Whenever Mozambique encounters problems in its development, it can always gain enlightenment from Xi Jinping Thought and find the way forward. Moreover, new progress made in developing socialism with Chinese characteristics has also lent credence to the belief that Mozambique should also embark on a path in line with its own national conditions. Secretary General Silva Samuel also highlighted that new ideas kept emerging one after another and spreading very quickly due to informatization, especially the advent of new media. Therefore, young people today, in order to stay away from misinformation, should fortify their convictions and learn more about the history of the party and the country, especially the unremitting efforts and great sacrifices made by revolutionary martyrs to realize national liberation and independence.

Mr. Silva Samuel’s humorous introduction and in-depth analysis aroused the interest of the audience, and the two sides later had a deeper discussion. At the end of this lecture, Mr. Silva Samuel expressed the hope that the two countries would have more cooperation among research institutes and think tanks, as well as more exchanges among young people in the future, and said SISUers would be welcome to visit Mozambique.

University Council Chair Jiang Feng, on behalf of SISU, extended a warm welcome to the delegation from Mozambique. Mr. Jiang pointed out that Secretary General Silva Samuel’s speech was full of wisdom and insight, and that Mozambique was expected to usher in a better future. He believed that the audience must have learnt a lot from this informative lecture as the speech not only mentioned the long history of cooperation between China and Mozambique, their current friendship and future exchanges, but also the fact that the cooperation between the two sides was not limited to the economic field, but was all-dimensional and wide-ranging. Mr. Jiang invited the delegation to visit SISU again, and also encouraged SISU students and faculty to study and research in Mozambique and other African countries.