The China-Africa Development Cooperation seminar themed the Perspectives on the Desired Development Path From FOCAC and Belt and Road Initiatives, was jointly hosted by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (FAFU), Durban University of Technology (DUT) and its Confucius Institute (DUTCI). It was successfully recently held at Fuzhou, China, under the support of Ministry of Foreign Affairs from both China and South Africa. About 100 high rank officials, experts and scholars from South Africa, Germany, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania gathered together with Chinese academicians from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Renmin University of China, Xiamen University, Beijing Forestry University, Central China Agricultural University, Zhejiang Normal University and other universities and institutes, to share and exchange their perspective ideas on the potential cooperation programmes between China and Africa in the new era ahead.
At the opening ceremony, dignitaries like Professor A Sooklal: Deputy Director General (DIRCO), Mr Hu Zhangliang: Deputy Director of Department of African Affairs of Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Professor Zheng Baodong: Vice-President(FAFU), Mr Liu Guijin: former Chinese ambassador to South Africa, Honorary Researcher of African Research Centre, Zhejiang Normal University, delivered presentations from various perspectives, all highly praising the importance of cooperation between China and Africa and looking forward to the new opportunities and outcomes through the FOCAC and Belt and Road Initiative. “The Belt and Road initiative as well as South Africa’s developmental aspirations must be coordinated into a cohesive working mechanism for development. An effective, practical mechanism should be formulated to ensure synergy and the practical realisation of the collective developmental aspirations from South Africa and China,” said Prof Sooklal.
Discussions, workshops and presentations on topics such as “Industrialisation and Economic Development through FOCAC and Belt and Road Initiative”, “Developing Energy Sector in Africa”, “Perspectives on the Importance of Peace and Security in Africa”, “Importance of Blue Economy and Green Economy in FOCAC and Belt and Road Initiative”, “Infrastructure Development through FOCAC and Belt and Road Initiative” were welcomed by both academics and researchers from the African continent and China in the two-day seminar, focusing on a series of key issues important enough to show the ways forward to direct the development path for further China-Africa collaborations.
According to the distinguished delegates from both sides, how to promote the cooperation through FOCAC and One Belt One Road Initiatives is extremely crucial. Professor Yang Guang, Director of the Institute of West-Asian and African Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences pointed out that the African continent owns abundant mineral resources and land resources for the development of metallurgy and chemical industry, whilst China has rich experience in industrial practice, so that both sides can cooperate to further promote Africa’s industrialisation and modernisation. Professor Hilary Inyang, an outstanding member of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and African Academy of Sciences, emphasized that increasing population had put African poverty and hungry on trial; reinforcing cooperation between Africa and China which will provide more job opportunities and make positive influence on the world’s sustainable development.
“By co-hosting high level seminar like this with South African and Chinese partners, DUT and its Confucius Institute wish not only to strengthen the existing close connections between China and South Africa, but also to play a more positive role in creating more platforms to facilitate officials, experts and professors from China and Africa to usher their voices on the ways forward regarding the development path for the China-Africa collaborations under the framework of FOCAC and Belt and Road initiatives”, said Professor G Stewart and Dr Eddie C FU, Co-Deans of the DUT Confucius Institute.
“In the past three years, DUT Confucius Institute has been serving as a bridge that closely connects institutions and government departments between China and South Africa to promote abundant cooperation in higher education, technical services, cultural communication, academic exchanges and people-to-people exchanges with fruitful achievements. The DUT CI will spare no efforts in establishing more platforms in this regard in the coming future”, added Mr Frank W LIN, the designated new Chinese Director/Co-Dean of the DUT CI.
Story: Dr Eddie C FU
Pictured: Delegates from the Development Cooperation seminar.
