Foreign news
Ambassador Talks: Duarte: Respect differences but agree on universal values
Now we continue our series of Ambassador Talks. CGTN’s Wu Guoxiu spoke to Portuguese Ambassador to China José Augusto Duarte. He talked about the countries’ partnership under the Belt and Road Initiative and how Portugal plays into China-EU relations.
The Port of Sines is Portugal’s busiest commercial port. It has hoped to play a key role in promoting connectivity between Europe and Asia since Portugal joined the Belt and Road Initiative in 2018.
Reports say both Chinese and American investors have placed bids on a new container terminal for the port.
JOSE AUGUSTO DUARTE Portuguese Ambassador to China “So far this bid is not over yet. There is a movement, an association of CCECC, this big construction company of China and one of our biggest construction companies, that they can be both interested in Sines and others, namely in Latin America, where this Portuguese company is already very present. It’s good, because they can face together and stronger in some interests and challenges, and they can bid for some offers all over the world.”
WU GUOXIU Beijing “I also heard there are some competition on this construction bid from the U.S. side. Even the U.S. Ambassador to Portugal Gorge Glass has described Portugal as a ‘battlefield’ between Washington and Beijing. What is the Portuguese government’s attitude towards this?”
JOSE AUGUSTO DUARTE Portuguese Ambassador to China “I don’t think we’re a battlefield for anything. We do whatever we want, we’re not manipulated by China or the United States, we have our own opinions, we have our own choices. I know Ambassador Glass personally, I think maybe he’s not exactly that about what he meant to say. But we don’t feel we’re a battlefield for anything, certainly not.”
WU GUOXIU Beijing “Reports also suggest the U.S. has repeatedly tried to pressure Portugal to ban the use of 5G technology developed by Huawei. What do you think of this? ”
JOSE AUGUSTO DUARTE Portuguese Ambassador to China “The American authorities have been quite vocal on the opinions regarding Chinese technology, but we’ve also been quite vocal, our Prime Minister has been very vocal, being very clear on that as well. We have to take the measures of protecting our national interests but without protectionism. And sometimes we can disagree and be tremendously good friends as well. Portugal is an ally of the United States, we’re a NATO member, we’re very proud to be an ally of the United States, as a transatlantic member. But we don’t have to agree all the time, in some elements we can have different opinions, though we still agree on the most important elements that link between the US and Portugal.”
WU GUOXIU Beijing “Portugal will be the rotating president of the European Union for the next half year. How will Portugal help to boost the relation between China and Europe?”
JOSE AUGUSTO DUARTE Portuguese Ambassador to China “All aspects of the relationship between China and European Union are the key elements for us in the next semester for these priorities. What we will try to see is, we try to give and to bring to the European Union the approach that the Portuguese always at for more than 500 years now with the Chinese. We never had a single military conflict in our lives, never. And we had the presence of Macao, and Macao was always a bridge, it was always a result of dialogue, never ever conflict. I think with China everything is possible, but we have dialogue, we have to speak. We can respect our differences, but still, agree on universal values. And President Xi Jinping has made several statements regarding climate change. The answer that China together with Europe and the rest give to these challenges will be for the sake of humanity.”
Duarte has been in China for three years. He says the connections between the Chinese and Portuguese people are of quality. He recalls some moments of cooperation during the pandemic.
JOSE AUGUSTO DUARTE Portuguese Ambassador to China “The first element it was when Covid-19 was just here in Wuhan, we didn’t have it yet in Europe. We saw some demonstrations in Portugal against discrimination and stigmatization of the virus. There was a demonstration in Lisbon, with nice images of Portuguese coming citizens dealing together, and embracing Chinese immigrants living in Portugal and visitors, which was quite impressive because it was a spontaneous thing. The second element that impressed me most, was during the pandemic when we already being affected, the spontaneity we received from all corners of China with solidarity, and offers that were made from big enterprises to small enterprises, and people that were living there and I never heard before. It’s emotional element that say a lot about qualities and the links that link Portugal and China.”
Duarte is a lover of the arts. He’s held a number of events in this embassy hall, bringing together Chinese and Portuguese artists.
JOSE AUGUSTO DUARTE Portuguese Ambassador to China “I want to be not nostalgic of the past, I want to be also devoted to the creativity into the future. Very much like the Chinese, something I learned from the Chinese. The Chinese have a long history, but they are always oriented towards the future, building something with a lot of devotion, always showing these strong instincts of survival that the Chinese society has, which I admire. ”
He said the two countries already have a strong political understanding and now he wants a similar level in the spheres of culture and economy. Wu Guoxiu, CGTN.
Featured
Financing Health Futures: Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda Turn to Tobacco and Telecom Taxes in Big Push Against Malaria
African leaders, parliamentarians, health experts, and development partners have renewed their commitment to ending malaria by 2030, with a bold call for domestic financing through innovative taxation on tobacco, alcohol, and telecom services to close critical funding gaps.
The discussions took center stage at the Big Push Against Malaria: Harnessing Africa’s Role high-level political engagement in Abuja, where Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda showcased new homegrown financing strategies aimed at reducing dependence on dwindling donor support.
Africa’s Heavy Burden
Malaria remains one of Africa’s deadliest diseases. In 2023, the world recorded 263 million cases and nearly 600,000 deaths, with 94% of cases and 95% of deaths occurring in Africa. Nigeria alone accounted for 26.6% of global cases and 31% of deaths, according to the World Malaria Report 2024. Children under five remain the most vulnerable, making up 76% of deaths.
Despite progress — with Nigeria cutting malaria deaths by more than half since 2000 through insecticide-treated nets, preventive treatments, and the rollout of the new R21 malaria vaccine — leaders warned that global targets are off-track. The World Health Organization’s technical strategy for malaria (2016–2030) has stalled since 2017, with Africa unlikely to meet its 2025 and 2030 milestones without urgent action.
Taxing for Health Futures
The Nigerian Parliament’s Committee on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (ATM) announced plans to fund malaria elimination through “sin taxes” and telecom levies.
According to the House Chair on ATM, Hon. Linda Ogar, a bill is underway to restructure the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) into a multi-disease agency that will address HIV, TB, and malaria.
The new financing mechanism proposes:
Taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and other luxury items
Dedicated levies on telecom airtime and mobile money transactions
A percentage of the nation’s consolidated revenue
“These resources will provide sustainable funding to strengthen health systems and accelerate malaria elimination,” Ogar said, stressing that Africa must stop relying solely on foreign donors. “We cannot continue to take two steps forward and five steps backward. Africa must begin to show the world that we are ready to solve our problems ourselves.”
Similar models are already being piloted in Ghana and Uganda, where levies on mobile money and telecoms are being redirected to finance health interventions. The Abuja meeting urged other African countries to adopt this approach as part of a continental framework for sustainable financing.
Leaders Call for Urgent Action
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, emphasized that while malaria is preventable and treatable, it still kills hundreds of thousands yearly due to funding shortfalls, climate change, insecticide resistance, and humanitarian crises.
“To truly defeat this disease, we must rethink, join forces, and mount a concerted ‘Big Push’. Funding gaps remain a major obstacle, and innovative domestic financing is the way forward,” Salako declared.
From the civil society front, grassroots representatives pledged to act as “foot soldiers”, demanding that communities have a seat at the decision-making table. The World Health Organization, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Aliko Dangote Foundation, and other partners reaffirmed support but stressed the need for stronger political will and local ownership.
Private Sector and Global Support
Representing billionaire philanthropist Aliko Dangote, the Nigeria Malaria Council reiterated that private sector investment must complement government financing. Meanwhile, the Global Fund confirmed it has invested nearly $2 billion in Nigeria’s malaria response and committed an additional $500 million for 2024–2026, including support for local production of malaria drugs.
The Gates Foundation’s Uche Anaowu noted that while progress has slowed, malaria remains beatable:
“Smallpox is the only human disease ever eradicated. The question is — can malaria be next? I believe Africa has both the burden and the opportunity to lead the world in making that happen.”
Financing Health Futures: Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda Turn to Tobacco and Telecom Taxes in Big Push Against Malaria
Abuja, Nigeria – African leaders, parliamentarians, health experts, and development partners have renewed their commitment to ending malaria by 2030, with a bold call for domestic financing through innovative taxation on tobacco, alcohol, and telecom services to close critical funding gaps.
The discussions took center stage at the Big Push Against Malaria: Harnessing Africa’s Role high-level political engagement in Abuja, where Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda showcased new homegrown financing strategies aimed at reducing dependence on dwindling donor support.
Africa’s Heavy Burden
Malaria remains one of Africa’s deadliest diseases. In 2023, the world recorded 263 million cases and nearly 600,000 deaths, with 94% of cases and 95% of deaths occurring in Africa. Nigeria alone accounted for 26.6% of global cases and 31% of deaths, according to the World Malaria Report 2024. Children under five remain the most vulnerable, making up 76% of deaths.
Despite progress — with Nigeria cutting malaria deaths by more than half since 2000 through insecticide-treated nets, preventive treatments, and the rollout of the new R21 malaria vaccine — leaders warned that global targets are off-track. The World Health Organization’s technical strategy for malaria (2016–2030) has stalled since 2017, with Africa unlikely to meet its 2025 and 2030 milestones without urgent action.
Taxing for Health Futures
The Nigerian Parliament’s Committee on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (ATM) announced plans to fund malaria elimination through “sin taxes” and telecom levies.
According to the House Chair on ATM, Hon. Linda Ogar, a bill is underway to restructure the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) into a multi-disease agency that will address HIV, TB, and malaria.
The new financing mechanism proposes:
Taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and other luxury items
Dedicated levies on telecom airtime and mobile money transactions
A percentage of the nation’s consolidated revenue
“These resources will provide sustainable funding to strengthen health systems and accelerate malaria elimination,” Ogar said, stressing that Africa must stop relying solely on foreign donors. “We cannot continue to take two steps forward and five steps backward. Africa must begin to show the world that we are ready to solve our problems ourselves.”
Similar models are already being piloted in Ghana and Uganda, where levies on mobile money and telecoms are being redirected to finance health interventions. The Abuja meeting urged other African countries to adopt this approach as part of a continental framework for sustainable financing.
Leaders Call for Urgent Action
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, emphasized that while malaria is preventable and treatable, it still kills hundreds of thousands yearly due to funding shortfalls, climate change, insecticide resistance, and humanitarian crises.
“To truly defeat this disease, we must rethink, join forces, and mount a concerted ‘Big Push’. Funding gaps remain a major obstacle, and innovative domestic financing is the way forward,” Salako declared.
From the civil society front, grassroots representatives pledged to act as “foot soldiers”, demanding that communities have a seat at the decision-making table. The World Health Organization, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Aliko Dangote Foundation, and other partners reaffirmed support but stressed the need for stronger political will and local ownership.
Private Sector and Global Support
Representing billionaire philanthropist Aliko Dangote, the Nigeria Malaria Council reiterated that private sector investment must complement government financing. Meanwhile, the Global Fund confirmed it has invested nearly $2 billion in Nigeria’s malaria response and committed an additional $500 million for 2024–2026, including support for local production of malaria drugs.
The Gates Foundation’s Uche Anaowu noted that while progress has slowed, malaria remains beatable:
“Smallpox is the only human disease ever eradicated. The question is — can malaria be next? I believe Africa has both the burden and the opportunity to lead the world in making that happen.”
The Big Push: From Talk to Action
Speakers acknowledged that Africa has hosted too many malaria meetings without concrete outcomes. This time, however, leaders insisted the Abuja gathering must mark a turning point — from dependency to self-reliance.
With Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda setting the pace on tax-based health financing, the continent now faces the challenge of replicating and scaling up these models.
“Now that Africa is at a critical point, the need for a Big Push against malaria cannot be overemphasized. If we align political will, innovative financing, and community engagement, we can end malaria within our lifetime.”
Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda are pioneering a shift from donor dependence to domestic revenue mobilization via tobacco, alcohol, and telecom taxes — a model hailed as central to financing Africa’s health futures and ending malaria by 2030
Speakers acknowledged that Africa has hosted too many malaria meetings without concrete outcomes. This time, however, leaders insisted the Abuja gathering must mark a turning point — from dependency to self-reliance.
With Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda setting the pace on tax-based health financing, the continent now faces the challenge of replicating and scaling up these models.
“Now that Africa is at a critical point, the need for a Big Push against malaria cannot be overemphasized. If we align political will, innovative financing, and community engagement, we can end malaria within our lifetime.”
Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda are pioneering a shift from donor dependence to domestic revenue mobilization via tobacco, alcohol, and telecom taxes — a model hailed as central to financing Africa’s health futures and ending malaria by 2030
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