Tanzania's Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation January Yusuf Makamba has wrapped up his visit to China – part of efforts to strengthen cooperation. During an interview with reporter You Yang, he praised bilateral ties, now in the sixtieth anniversary, and pointed to the future.

YOU YANG CGTN Reporter "You held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on May 17. What were the outcomes of the talks?"

JANUARY YUSUF MAKAMBA Tanzania's Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation "It was very good with a very good meeting. We touched on many issues. But the key points are three. One is bilateral relations between our two. We positively assess the past 60 years of our relations. We also talked about the upcoming FOCAC. And the preparations and focus in issues that would be undertaken. We also touched on global affairs and regional affairs as well."

YOU YANG CGTN Reporter "Why you choose Shenzhen as your second stop of your visit to China?"

JANUARY YUSUF MAKAMBA Tanzania's Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation "You know Shenzhen hosts massive significance even in China's opening-up policy. It is where the Chinese government experimented opening-up. Manufacturing, industrialization, modernization in the ways that Africa wants to do the same. So it's important to go and see and learn. We will meet with the municipal government and we will go to Huawei. So it's a busy trip."

YOU YANG CGTN Reporter "Tanzania is the first African country that Chinese President Xi Jinping visited after he assumed the presidency in 2013. During his visit, he put forward the principles of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith for China's Africa policy, which has now become a basic policy concept guiding China's cooperation with developing countries. How do you evaluate those principles?"

JANUARY YUSUF MAKAMBA Tanzania's Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation "These principles are very key. Because we Africa are very sensitive to partnerships. Because of our history, we have a glorious history as a continent, but also we have a history of being colonized and being exploited. The principles that President Xi elaborated in Dar es Salaam in 2013, that underpins the relation between China and Africa are very good, because they take into consideration our history. So over the past ten years, since those principles were established, we've seen the transformation of China-Africa relations in a positive way. The projects that China wants to do in Africa are beneficial to us. The interaction between China and Africa, and the engagement between China and Africa is one that is based on mutual respect, and mutual benefit as well. So the Dar es Salaam Consensus come up with a new a blueprint a for global order, the international order that is based on openness, transparency, mutual respect, equity, fairness. These are the things that we've always wanted and we hope that all Africans together with China and other international partners will collaborate around. The Dar es Salaam Consensus is a new way to organize global community."

YOU YANG CGTN Reporter "Taking about cooperation, the TAZARA railway is a hallmark of Tanzania-China relations. Could you please share with us the significance of the railway up till now?"

JANUARY YUSUF MAKAMBA Tanzania's Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation "TAZARA is of tremendous symbolic significance to us. And it's a emotional projects for Tanzanians, Zambians, and of course, Chinese. This one was built immediately post-independence. So it was designed to help the two countries to develop the economies. So since then it has contributed immensely towards building that corridor for exporting and importing products from overseas. And China's contribution in that respect has been a phenomenon."

YOU YANG CGTN Reporter "The 9th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation will be held in Beijing later this year. What proposals will Tanzania bring to the table of this year's forum?"

JANUARY YUSUF MAKAMBA Tanzania's Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation "As you know, one of the key features of FOCAC is consultation, both among Africans and between Africa and China. So we will consult among us to establish our priorities and our focus areas. Then we come and engage with Chinese partners. But what we've seen so far, what we've had so far for initial preparations as focus areas for this FOCAC, very good, to build a, you know, high level China-Africa community through modernization. This is a theme that is important for us. Even the four key areas that are going to be pillars of this FOCAC, governance, BRI, agriculture, modernization, peace and security are important for us and we're keen and ready to engage on those issues."