Before his departure, Mkapa accepted an exclusive interview with Xinhua and talked about China-Tanzanian relations and China-African relations as a whole.

The overall objective to be realized through the forthcoming forum is to strengthen the African continent's collective political and economic partnership with China, the president said, adding that he expected to look and find ways and means of especially enhancing China-Africa economic interests in the new century of globalization and high technology.

"The other objective is to meet and exchange views on our bilateral and regional concerns on issues that are of common and mutual interest," he said.

On Tanzania-China relations, Mkapa said that in general, the two countries have enjoyed a very special relationship which dates back to the 1960s when China was Tanzania's closest ally during the struggles against colonialism and apartheid.

"Tanzania and China have very close and friendly relations which started with the old generation of our leaders, late Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere and late Chairman Mao Zedong. The relationship has been maintained to date," he said.

According to Mkapa, Tanzania-China relations have transcended the traditional government to government contacts and extended to people to people cooperation, to the extent that the people of Tanzania and China call each other "RAFIKI", which means a friend in Kiswahili.

This was translated in economic terms by the establishment in the 1960s of the Tanzania-China Friendship Textile Company, which carries the banner of close cooperation between Tanzania and China, he said.

He said it was China which took over the offer in the 1970s to construct the Tanzania-Zambia railway when developed countries turned it down, setting a good living example of Chinese selflessness to Tanzania.

"China has also proved to be Tanzania's friend in need and therefore a friend indeed as she has done to our country what others could not or were not willing to do," he added.

He stressed that Tanzania and China have enjoyed the same outlook on almost all international issues of significance.

"China has genuinely cooperated with Tanzania in supporting the liberation struggle in Southern Africa and elsewhere in Africa, a factor that formed the bed-rock of cooperation and mutual support in international issues pertaining to sovereignty and equality," he said.

On Africa-China ties, the Tanzanian president said the relations date many centuries back when Chinese sailors anchored on the east African coast.

"These contacts were later disrupted by the colonial intervention in Asia and Africa," he said. "However, after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 and the independence of many African states in the 1960s, Africa-China relations were re-established."

According to Mkapa, China has a history of providing genuine and selfless assistance to African countries.

China was at the forefront to support directly or indirectly most of the liberation movements which finally succeeded in leading African countries to independence, he said, stressing that China has equally played an important role in assisting the economic development badly needed by poor nations in Africa.

China, being a developing country, has always identified itself with Africa and other third world countries, thus assuming the leadership role of the nations in this group due to its tremendous economic development, the president said.

"It is for this reason that China has taken the initiative of organizing the Beijing conference in order to especially address Africa's development problems," he noted.

Mkapa expressed confidence that the forthcoming forum will provide an excellent opportunity for China and Africa to share their economic reform experiences that will help form the collective vision of development in the new millennium.

"Tanzania is seeking to have means of speeding up her economic development. In this regard, we are certain that China is the ideal country to emulate and cooperate with," he said.

On how to meet the challenges of the 21st century, a century perceived to be of science and technology, Mkapa said the most important thing is to further and strengthen the already existing cooperation and translate it into concrete economic and technical cooperation.

"This can be achieved through sharing China's successful experience in development as the fastest growing economy in the world today," he said.

He encouraged more Chinese companies to invest more in Tanzania so as to promote the desired mutually beneficial progress.

Mkapa is scheduled to give a key note address next Tuesday at the opening session of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum, which is a gathering for many African leaders.

This will be his second visit to China since he took power in 1995. His first visit was in April 1998.

(Xinhua 10/08/2000)