Attendants at the sub-forum in Jinhua on Thursday Photo: Courtesy of Zhejiang Normal University
This year is the beginning of the implementation of the FOCAC outcomes as the two sides have overcome the adverse impact caused by the external economic situation and COVID-19, Deng said at the opening ceremony of the conference in Beijing on Wednesday.
In the first five months of this year, China's imports from Africa increased by nearly 20 percent year-on-year, according to Deng. There are many projects undergoing in an orderly manner such as the China-African joint center for demonstration and training of modern agricultural technology exchange.
In the near future, China and Africa will further improve the quality and efficiency of practical cooperation in an innovative way and allow more people to understand and support China-Africa friendship and cooperation, said Deng.
As one of the important sub-forums of the FOCAC, the China-Africa Think Tanks Forum has been committed to providing intellectual support for the development of China-Africa relations and cooperation in various fields, Deng said.
China has been Africa's leading trading partner for 12 consecutive years. According to the General Administration of Customs of China, the total bilateral trade between China and Africa in 2021 reached $254.3 billion, up 35.3 percent year-on-year. On that period, Africa exported goods worth $105.9 billion to China, up 43.7 percent year-on-year.
Officials and scholars from China and Africa expressed the desire to strengthen cooperation in various fields, including trade, the economy and entertainment.
The launch ceremony of the China-Africa Exchanges Museum was also held during the sub-forum in Jinhua. The museum will systematically present major historical events in the past 2,000 years of China-Africa relations, especially the diplomatic efforts made by China .
The China-Africa Think Tanks Forum, established by the Institute of African Studies at Zhejiang Normal University in 2011, is one of the important settings within the framework of the FOCAC. Ten conferences have been held in China, Ethiopia, South Africa, Senegal and other countries and regions successively, which have effectively promoted exchanges and communication between the two sides.
Zhejiang Normal University has become one of the most renowned academic centers of African studies in China and one of the important drivers for people-to-people exchanges with Africa, Zheng Mengzhuang, President of Zhejiang Normal University, said at the opening speech on Thursday.
