Tanzania, China plant trees to cement friendship

DAR ES SALAAM, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania and China on Saturday planted trees to cement their friendship and to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Tanzania's Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Liberata Mulamula, and the Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania, Chen Mingjian, planted the trees in front of the Chinese-built office building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam

Speaking after they had planted the trees, Mulamula praised China for the milestones it has made in the past 73 years.

Mulamula said China has made many achievements in the past 73 years, including 61 years of excellent diplomatic relations with Tanzania, China's tremendous socio-economic transformation, and pulling a lot of people out of poverty.

In the course of the 73 years, Tanzania and China have solidified their relations and friendship, said Mulamula, citing the construction of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway and the Urafiki Textile Mills.

"Tanzania and China have been together in bad and good times," said the east African nation's top diplomat in an answer to a question by Xinhua.

"The trees we are planting today not only mean life and journey but also symbolize friendship, unity, and solidarity," said Mulamula.

For her part, Chen said China and Tanzania enjoyed profound traditional friendship, the seeds of which were sown by the older generation leaders of the two countries, including Chairman Mao Zedong, President Julius Nyerere, and others.

"For the past half-century and more, the China-Tanzania friendship trees have taken root, flourished, and borne rich fruits in various fields of cooperation," said the Chinese envoy.

Chen added that "by planting these two 'friendship trees', we intend to firmly keep China-Tanzania friendship in our heart, and constantly advance the bilateral relationship."

The event, attended by some 20 officials and diplomats from both countries, was co-organized by the Chinese Embassy in Tanzania and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation.