In January 2017, in a speech at the UN High-level Meeting on “Discussing and Building a Community of Shared Future for Humanity”, President Xi Jinping stressed the importance of addressing the root cause of the refugee crisis facing the world. For Abdilahi Ismail Abdilahi, a lecturer at Beijing Foreign Studies University who has experienced firsthand the devastation of war in his homeland, Somalia, President Xi’s comment demonstrated his commitment to the well-being of ordinary people. Abdilahi also points to how China’s contribution to infrastructure development in Somalia under the Belt and Road Initiative is improving the lives of its citizens.
Encounters with Xi Jinping: He Always Puts People’s Interests First
