CIDCA vice-chairman addresses 2023 Understanding China Conference

On Dec 2, 2023, Zhao Fengtao, vice-chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), attended the 2023 Understanding China Conference (Guangzhou) and delivered a keynote speech at the panel discussion themed "the Global Development Initiative and cooperation among developing countries".

Noting that understanding China is a grand proposition, Zhao said that development is an important perspective to understand China. The China-proposed Global Development Initiative (GDI), which supports the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and has focus on development, offering an opportunity for cooperation among developing countries, he said. As the largest developing country in the world, China has achieved the UN's poverty reduction goal 10 years ahead of schedule, and carried out thousands of assistance projects and more than 10,000 human resources development training programs in other developing countries. In the face of the ever-evolving global turmoil unseen in a century, the GDI has injected theoretical impetus into global development and pointed out a way in practice, according to him.

The CIDCA, as a Chinese government agency responsible for the country's foreign assistance and international development cooperation, shoulders important responsibility in coordinating and implementing the GDI, and has achieved fruitful results, he said. It has established the Global Development Promotion Center, signed cooperation documents with over 30 development partners, and held the first high-level conference of the Forum on Global Action for Shared Development, expanding friendship and building global development partnerships. It has upgraded the Global Development Fund, increased its funding to 4 billion dollars, and raised 12 billion dollars as a special fund. It has accelerated the building of a project pool and funding pool, and proactively carried out human resources training, tripartite cooperation and funding allocation to recipient countries.

Lastly, he called for the continuous implementation of the GDI, pledging to continue to unite international consensus on global development, improve the cooperation mechanism, jointly build and share the outcomes of global development, accelerate the building of a governance structure for global development, promote practical cooperation with developing countries, and contribute more to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Held in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong province, the conference attracted hundreds of Chinese and foreign guests from over 30 countries and regions, who held in-depth exchanges on China's action to expand common interests and build a community with a shared future amid changes unseen in a century.