BEIJING: The Global South Media and Think Tank Forum China-Africa Partnership Conference opened here on Thursday to explore ways to strengthen global governance and deepen China-Africa cooperation.
The two-day event, co-hosted by Xinhua News Agency, the African Union (AU) and South Africa’s Independent Media, among other partners, gathered more than 200 representatives from over 160 media outlets, think tanks, government organizations and other institutions from China and 41 African countries, as well as the AU.
It focuses on how collaboration between media and think tanks can contribute to shaping a fairer and more inclusive global governance under the theme “Reforming Global Governance: New Roles and Visions for China-Africa Cooperation.”
Against the backdrop of profound changes unseen in a century, the awakening of the Global South and its growing cooperation have become an indispensable part of the international landscape, with China-Africa cooperation at the core.
In 2015, 2018 and 2021, China successively announced at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) the implementation of the 10 cooperation plans, eight major initiatives and nine programs, drawing a blueprint for China-Africa cooperation.
Quoting an African proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together,” Lyu Yansong, editor-in-chief of Xinhua News Agency, called on media and think tanks to take the conference as an opportunity to build consensus, strengthen solidarity and collaboration, and jointly create a better future in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony.
Addressing the event, Chinese Ambassador to South Africa Wu Peng shared three keywords on China-Africa cooperation — partnership, practicality and prospects.
“China is ready to work with African countries to implement the outcomes of the FOCAC Beijing Summit, further expand win-win cooperation across all fields, and speed up the common modernization of China and Africa,” said Wu.
Noting that the relationship between Africa and China has evolved over decades of solidarity, mutual respect and shared aspirations for development, Leslie Richer, the AU director of information and communication, said that Africa will work with China and other Global South partners to make its voice heard more strongly, while promoting more balanced narratives through closer media and think tank cooperation.
The event featured the launch of the Global South joint communication partnership network “United in Heart, Path and Action — 2026 China-Africa Partnership Empowerment Action Plan,” with the aim of better supporting the shared development of China and Africa.
Applauding the development of the Africa-China relationship, Jonathan Titus-Williams, deputy minister of planning and economic development of Sierra Leone, said that the partnership has long been characterized by solidarity and shared purpose grounded in mutual respect, equality, and a collective aspiration for a just and peaceful world.
As the permanent host of the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, China’s Hunan province has made great efforts in recent years to promote cooperation in various fields such as agriculture, green energy and industrial chains with African partners.
Recognizing the expo as an important initiative under the FOCAC’s major action plans, Shen Yumou, head of the Hunan provincial commerce department, said that Hunan has been aiming to enhance China-Africa cooperation, focusing on building six major centers for trade in non-resource products, cross-border e-commerce, industrial development, financial cooperation, logistics and trade promotion, to serve as a strategic hub for China-Africa economic ties. –The Daily Mail-Global Times news exchange item
