CIDCA vice-chairman attends European Development Days event

Zhang Maoyu, vice-chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), attended the opening ceremony of the 2019 European Development Days in Brussels, Belgium, on June 18, and spoke at the high-level panel “Fostering inclusive growth”.

Zhang said in his speech that the world now faces challenges of incomplete and unbalanced development, and that inequality in development is very prominent. Protectionism and unilateralism are on the rise, casting a shadow over global development. There is a long way to go to achieve the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The international community must work together to strengthen dialogue, expand cooperation and jointly address global challenges.

The international community should effectively increase investment in aid to developing countries and build a partnership for aid to them, according to Zhang. He said that developed countries should further enhance their assistance and fulfill their commitments. International organizations with the UN as the core should strengthen information sharing and coordination, and raise funds through various channels. Developing countries should carry out South-South cooperation and contribute to common development.

Zhang pointed out that self-development capacity building should become the fundamental goal of international assistance. The international community should support and encourage developing countries to adopt a development path that suits their national conditions. All parties should adhere to the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" for international development cooperation, adhere to the main channel of North-South cooperation, and make South-South cooperation a useful supplement. At the same time, they should explore tripartite cooperation and enrich ways of international development cooperation.

Zhang said that China proposed the Belt and Road Initiative, called on all parties to advocate the principle of "extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits", strengthen all-round interconnection and establish a new platform for international economic cooperation.

As the largest developing country in the world, China has provided assistance to a vast number of developing countries within the framework of South-South cooperation. In recent years, China has paid great attention to helping recipient countries strengthen their capacity of independent development, enhance the breadth and depth of their participation in economic globalization, and better integrate into the global value chain system.

China is willing to strengthen communication and exchanges with other countries and international organizations, and to explore tripartite cooperation.

Organized by the European Commission, the European Development Days event, held annually since 2006, is a platform for all parties to share and exchange development experience and explore how to respond to global challenges. The theme of this year’s forum was "Addressing inequalities: building a world which leaves no one behind".