There is a popular saying in "Zengguang Xianwen": "The grace of a drop of water should be reciprocated by a spring." This phrase encourages us to be grateful, to be kind to others, and to redouble the rewards of even the smallest help in difficult situations.
On May 12, 2008, a catastrophe occurred in Wenchuan, Sichuan, shattering mountains and rivers and causing great suffering to the people, which shook the whole of China and attracted global attention.
Countries have reached out to help, some have donated materials and funds, some have sent rescue teams, and people all over the world are paying attention to Wenchuan, Sichuan, and contributing to the recovery of the disaster area.
Although Mozambique is only a small African country, they donated 40,000 yuan to China in the Wenchuan Festival, although the amount seems insignificant, but the friendship behind this is profound.
Despite living in poverty, we are admired for their kindness and humanitarianism. China is deeply grateful for this generous assistance, and we hope to repay Mozambique with concrete actions.
The people of Mozambique have been invaded and exploited by Portugal and have lived in difficult circumstances, but they are still able to show a selfless spirit of assistance, which is something we need to learn from and respect.
In 1505, the Portuguese established their first colonial stronghold on the island of Mozambique by force, and for the next two years, they occupied the entire island. Since then, wars have been frequented on the island of Mozambique, with the local people rebelling against the invasion spontaneously, but suffering several defeats.
By the 17th century, the Portuguese had rapidly expanded their power, and their colonization and plundering of Mozambique intensified. Every year, 60,000 ounces are exported from the Mozambican port city of Quelimane.
However, the local people were deeply oppressed and exploited, and resistance became a luxury. They have no basic human rights and dignity, like tools that are traded and discarded at will, and freedom is perhaps their most desired dream.
In Mozambique, there is a spirit that has always inspired people, and that is the spirit of fighting for freedom. As sung in the song "Lovely Motherland", the Mozambicans picked up **, overthrew colonialism, and paid countless precious lives.
While some fled to other countries out of fear, many more chose to stick to their land and stand up for true freedom.
Between 1964 and 1974, Mozambique's armed forces grew from 200 to about 20,000 men, and their heroic deeds will always be remembered.
In Mozambique, the flame of freedom is never extinguished.
In 1975, Mozambique ended its long colonial rule and declared independence. It was also during this year of major events that China established diplomatic relations with Mozambique, which opened the prelude to friendly exchanges between the two countries.
When the day of independence came, the hearts of the people of Mozambique were filled with anticipation, and they wanted to escape the misery of the past and live a better life. However, their good wishes were not fulfilled, and the scars of war are still deeply engraved on this land.
As a result of the long war, Mozambique lacked factories and the land was severely damaged, leaving the country in ruins. Therefore, the people of Mozambique will need to work hard to rebuild their homes in order to bring this beautiful land back to life.
Although Mozambique has been freed from Portuguese exploitation, Portuguese influence is still deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and Mozambique has adopted Portuguese as its official language. After more than 30 years of independence, Mozambique has emerged from the shadow of war and its economy has improved significantly.
Mozambique has a long and narrow coastline, and its beautiful coastline attracts many Mozambican people who make a living from fishing, as well as many tourists who love diving or fishing.
Despite its limited resources, Mozambique has not given up on developing agriculture and fisheries, but it has had to borrow from other countries because of a lack of funds. Although the country is slowly getting off to a start, its economic development is still far from adequate compared to the rest of the world.
According to the data, Mozambique's GDP per capita is only about US$476, which is far below the world's minimum standard. The United Nations has also identified Mozambique as one of the least developed countries in the world.
In order to develop its economy, Mozambique has borrowed a large amount of foreign debt, which has also made it have a low international reputation and is even considered a heavily indebted country.
Mozambique's climate is volatile, with frequent floods and hurricanes, and these extreme weather events have had a severe impact on the local fishing industry. Fishermen need to be vigilant against bad weather when they go out to sea, but Mozambique's inadequate storm monitoring equipment has prevented fishermen from going out to sea for long periods of time.
In the event of bad weather, their fishing boats can easily capsize, and going out to sea to fish is not only hard, but even life-threatening. As a result, Mozambique's fishing industry is unstable and agriculture is struggling.
Most of the people in the area are engaged in agricultural work, but bad weather can also hinder the development of agriculture, resulting in the destruction of arable land and even the loss of crops.
Mozambique, a developing country, faces many challenges. Among them, the lack of educational resources has led to the lack of access to formal education for many citizens. Despite attempts to reform education in Mozambique in 1983, basic education has not been improved.
According to 2016 statistics, about 44Nine per cent of Mozambican citizens have no formal education, which contributes to their persistent poor living conditions. This phenomenon is particularly evident in Mozambique's large railway and bus stations, where petty theft is common, discouraging many tourists.
Due to the lack of education and weak awareness of local residents, theft and robbery are frequent. All this has undoubtedly affected the image of Mozambique, causing a sharp decline in the number of tourists.
Although Mozambique needs a lot of money for its own development, in 2008, when Wenchuan was held in 2008, they still donated 40,000 yuan despite the plight of the country.
This donation was raised by the joint efforts of the whole country of Mozambique, and it was also sent to the front line of Wenchuan for the first time. Such a move shows the Mozambican people's perseverance in foreign feelings and respect for life.
However, the social chaos in Mozambique is difficult to manage, the people are unemployed and exhausted, and the country's overall economy is difficult to improve, so applying for international aid has become a helpless choice.
This is a vicious circle that makes it difficult for Mozambique to emerge from its development predicament.
At the time of the Wenchuan Massacre, Mozambique donated 40,000 yuan as much as they could, which was their limit, and the 40,000 yuan made Mozambique's debt even exceed the total GDP of the country.
Their nationwide assistance is admirable, and these Western countries, despite their large donations, may have overlooked the plight of poor countries and their commitment to humanity.
China-Africa friendship goes back to ancient times, and we are grateful for Mozambique's generous assistance. We do not despise the help of any poor country, and we will repay the 40,000 yuan donation with the mentality of reciprocating the spring.
In return for Mozambique's kindness, we sent an expedition to Mozambique to gain insight into Mozambique's plight. In response to Mozambique's agricultural problems, we have taken over a large number of local agricultural projects, among which the "Wanbao Project" has been hailed as "a symbol of China-Africa agricultural cooperation".
Between 2013 and 2015, Mozambique was hit by severe flooding, which affected the central and northern regions of the country, inundated farmland and houses, and left people without a harvest.
As soon as we heard the news of the disaster in Mozambique, we provided about US$700,000 in donations and emergency supplies to help Mozambique through this difficult time.
In the Mozambican capital, the exchange of foreign exchange and goods between the two sides is underway. The people of Mozambique are overjoyed to see the huge amount of aid from China. Back then, they donated to Wenchuan, China, but now they have received such a rich return, many people are moved to tears.
Mozambique** was also very excited to receive the supplies and thanked the volunteers who delivered the supplies. In the end, they issued an appeal to the people to remember China's kindness and pass it on to the people affected by the disaster as soon as possible.
In order to vigorously support Mozambique's economic development, China has provided it with extremely preferential tariff policies, of which 97% of the products exported to China can enjoy duty-free treatment.
A series of agreements and investment protection policies have been signed between the two countries, and our country will also provide Mozambique with the required steel, mechanical and electrical products for a long time. These products are extremely scarce in the local area, and our long-term exports will contribute to the rapid development of Mozambican industry.
At the same time, Mozambique also uses its advantages to export timber and agricultural products to China in order to obtain a certain economic income.