Scholars discuss China-Africa relations, South-South cooperation at Fuzhou seminar

Around 100 scholars gathered on Saturday at Fujian Jiangxia University in Fuzhou, Fujian province, for a seminar discussing China-Africa diplomatic relations and South-South cooperation. The meeting comes against the backdrop of this year being the 70th anniversary of China-Africa diplomatic ties and the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges.

Wei Yuanzhu, Party secretary of the university, said in an address that decades of relations have built a model for South-South cooperation, and that the seminar would contribute to the study of the historical, theoretical, and practical logic of African development, while advancing the growth of China's African history studies and regional research.

Mu Tao, president of the Chinese Society of African Historical Studies, said that educational cooperation within the Global South is rooted in equality, mutual trust, capacity building, and the pursuit of shared values. Vocational education cooperation between China and Africa meets the latter's practical needs and aligns with the cooperative spirit of the Global South, according to Mu, who pointed to the language and skills training available at Confucius Institutes and Luban Workshops.

These vocational training resources have effectively lifted local household incomes and supported local green growth, he added.

Yang Baorong, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that China does not export a development template but respects Africa's independent choices.

China has helped Africa upgrade infrastructure, establish trade and financial mechanisms, build regional logistics corridors, and cultivate industrial capacity, Yang added. "This approach has helped the continent find its own path toward independent and sustainable modernization," he said.