This year marks the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Somalia. China was one of the first countries to recognize the independence of Somalia, and Somalia was the first eastern African country to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. In 2024, during the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, President Xi Jinping and Somali President Mahmoud jointly announced that they would upgrade China-Somalia relations to a strategic partnership, drawing a new blueprint for the development of relations between the two countries. Mutual respect and equal treatment are the political foundation of China-Somalia relations. In 1964, Premier Zhou Enlai led a delegation to visit Somalia and was warmly welcomed by the Somali government and people. Not long ago, I listened to the audio files of this visit collected by Somalia on Radio Mogadishu, and the historical moment of China-Somalia friendship was before my eyes. Over the past 65 years, China and Somalia have always supported each other on issues involving each other's core interests and major concerns. In 1971, Somalia, as one of the 23 co-sponsors of the "Two-Arab Proposal", firmly supported the restoration of the People's Republic of China's lawful seat in the United Nations. Somalia has long firmly adhered to the one-China principle and defended the authority of UN General Assembly Resolution 2758. China has also always supported Somalia's efforts to safeguard national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity. Mutually beneficial cooperation and moving forward hand in hand are powerful driving forces for China-Somalia relations. In the early days of the establishment of diplomatic relations, China fully supported Somalia's economic and social development even though it was not well off, and assisted in the construction of a series of important projects such as Benadir Hospital, the National Grand Theater, the National Stadium, the Hargeisa Water Supply Project, and the North-South Highway. This year I made a special trip to visit Benadir Hospital and the National Center for the Performing Arts. At Benadir Hospital, several young medical staff said "Hello" in Chinese, and a bird's-eye view of the hospital hand-painted by Chinese foreign aid experts still hangs on the wall. On the stage of the National Center for the Performing Arts, Somali singers enthusiastically sang songs praising the friendship between the two countries. These projects embodying the friendship between China and Somalia still play an important role in the lives of the Somali people. In recent years, Somalia has actively participated in the high-quality Belt and Road Initiative. Chinese goods are highly favored in Somalia, and high-quality agricultural, animal husbandry, and fishery products from Somalia continue to enter thousands of Chinese households. Currently, the two sides are continuously discussing cooperation in new energy, digital connectivity and other fields. People-to-people and cultural exchanges and people-to-people bonds are the source of vitality for China-Somalia relations. China provides scholarships to outstanding Somali students every year and encourages them to further their studies in China. Today, many Somali doctors, engineers and other outstanding talents have studied in China. China also continues to provide various human resources training programs. This year, more than a hundred officials from federal agencies went to China for exchanges. "Going to China" and learning from "Chinese governance" have become the common aspiration of all walks of life in Somalia. Under the framework of the "China-Africa Hand in Hand to Warm Children's Hearts" activity, Somali children went to China to interact with Chinese children. I visited the children in the local orphanage for two consecutive years and witnessed the seeds of friendship taking root and sprouting in the hearts of the next generation. Defending justice and upholding justice are distinctive features of China-Somalia relations. China is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, and Somalia currently serves as a non-permanent member of the Security Council. The two sides maintain close communication and coordination on a series of major international and regional issues, jointly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries and the global South, constantly correct historical injustices in the modernization process, and oppose hegemony and bullying. Somalia speaks highly of the global development initiative, global security initiative, global civilization initiative and global governance initiative proposed by China, and is willing to work with China to promote reform and improve the global governance system. The friendship between China and Somalia has gone through the baptism of time and is always full of vitality. Not long ago, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China concluded successfully. The meeting adopted the "15th Five-Year Plan" planning recommendations, demonstrating the bright prospects of Chinese-style modernization and China's firm willingness to cooperate with countries around the world for win-win cooperation. It will definitely bring more development opportunities to African countries, including Somalia. China is willing to work with Somalia, under the strategic guidance of heads of state diplomacy, to continuously enrich the connotation of the strategic partnership between the two countries, jointly promote modernization, and jointly promote the construction of an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era. (The author is the Chinese Ambassador to Somalia)