CHINESE Ambassador Chen Mingjian has extolled institutional roles of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China in consolidating China-Tanzania relations over the past 60 years.

She made this assessment in Dar es Salaam over the weekend at a function to mark 97years of PLA founding and 60 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Aside from direct links between the Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF) and PLA, the envoy listed pivotal cooperation activities where the liberation army played a key role, including the construction of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway (TAZARA) originally known as ‘Freedom Train’ stretching for 1868 km from Dar es Salaam to Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia.

She similarly alerted function participants of PLA involvement in building the Ngerengere Air Base, Mapinga Training Centre, the National Defence College, the Dar es Salaam Naval Base, along with military schools and colleges.

These projects have cemented bilateral ties and enhanced China’s ability to address common security challenges with Tanzania and other African countries, she stated. 

Commemorating the 97 years of the PLA has been a testament to its pivotal role in shaping the destiny of China and upholding the country’s global security initiatives, she said, underlining that Tanzania has been a role model of China-Africa relations since African countries attained independence in the early 1960s.

Analysts point at the ‘Zanzibar door’ to the cultivation of ties between the two countries, as revolutionary activists in Zanzibar were linked with Radio Beijing, in particular the late Abdulrahman Mohamed Babu, a leader of Umma Party who allied with the Afro-Shirazi Party to bring about the Zanzibar Revolution early 1964.

China was among the first countries to recognise the new revolutionary authorities in Zanzibar, and after the union the ties remained in place, cemented further as President Julius Nyerere fell out with a number of Western countries over the Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) by minority white settlers in Zimbabwe.

At the turn of the decade, Tanzania played a key role in restoring China’s seat in the UN General Assembly as well as the  Security Council, as Ambassador Salim Ahmed Salim canvassed African countries, as well as those of Asia and South America, apart from Caribbean and Pacific countries  to switch from the recognition of Taiwan to China.

“Our bonds have created solid military relations. Nothing can change and with that, we will enhance strategic cooperation and ordination,” the envoy emphasised, pointing at the just concluded Chinese naval hospital ship ‘Peace Ark’ visit, conducting humanitarian assistance with treatment of upwards of 8000 patients, making 80 surgeries when it docked in Dar es Salam on July 16 for a week-long stay.

In remarks at the occasion, Defense and National Service minister Dr Stergomena Tax, expressed commitment towards strengthening security cooperation between TPDF and the PLA, as a vital component of the country’s engagements in peace and security.

The minister said as the two countries reflect on the shared sacrifices and achievements, they also have an opportunity to build upon the strong foundation of their partnership and enhance defense and security cooperation for their nation's benefit and the world at large.

Wang Haijun, the defense attache, pledged that the PLA will maintain its friendship with TPDF as the two institutions share similar visions of the future.

“Our cooperation has expanded from military training to equipment sharing. The three naval ship missions in Tanzania are a testament to it. We will always work together as we set out new heights.”

Tanzania was among the first African countries to sign a treaty of friendship with China in 1965, and in 1971 firmly led the movement to support the People's Republic of China to restore its lawful seat in the United Nations, becoming a permanent member of the Security Council.