The new Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) is set to be held on 4-6 September, which will outline the measures of China-Africa cooperation in the next three years and beyond. Before this event, on 15 August, a seminar themed The Governance of China: Forging a Closer China-Africa Community of Shared Future was held in Pretoria, South Africa, by CICG Centre for Europe and Africa, which was attended by more than 70 participants, including South African and…

Joaquim Chissano, former President of Mozambique, has said that Africa has gained much from China’s economic development, particularly due to its reform and opening up policy. China inspires African nations in their quest for national renewal and creates new development prospects through mutually beneficial cooperation. Since the establishment of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2000 and the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, exchanges between the two sides have intensified. Platforms such as the China-Africa Economic…

Workers at a kitchen appliances manufacturer use robotic arms to make a pot in less than five minutes; dock workers use levers in an office to accurately grab and move containers; and doctors operate auxiliary robot systems to perform complex surgical operations with just a flick of their fingers …   In Shanghai, artificial intelligence (AI) has become a common sight in numerous fields including smart production, smart finance, and smart cities, and is profoundly changing people’s lifestyles. AI and other…

Humanoid robots have become a familiar sight, particularly in science fiction films where they are often depicted as omnipotent beings. They are capable of caring for our families in real time, offering emotional companionship and even protecting Earth on our behalf. Thanks to unprecedented technological advances on a global scale, some of these science fiction scenarios are beginning to become reality.  The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information  Technology published the Directive on the Innovative Development of Humanoid Robots at…

When the young Africans visiting China to attend the 8th China-Africa Youth Festival were offered the choice of a seven-hour bullet train ride or a two-hour plane journey to travel from Beijing to the city of Jinhua in east China’s Zhejiang Province, they chose the train. They didn’t want to waste a single chance to fulfil the most important purpose of their visit: to experience the country as much as possible.  The festival is a project based on the consensus…

Seven years ago, Uganda’s only international airport Entebbe International Airport was in a dilapidated state, desperately in need of structural repair and an upgrading of all its facilities.  Since its construction in 1928 and its launch on 10 November 1951, no major work had ever been done on the airport and that led to most of the buildings becoming dilapidated, with leaking roofs and the facilities like the cargo centre becoming too small to handle the ever-increasing amount of freight.  …

Exports of Chinese satellites, joint construction of space infrastructure, and joint research and development of satellites … The recent years have seen substantial growth in China-Africa cooperation in the space sector, which is bringing tangible benefits to both sides.  Since space utilisation is a highly technology- and capital-intensive industry, partnerships with capable players like China are essential for Africa to develop its space capabilities. Egypt, one of the most active countries in Africa in the sector, stands as a good…

Prosper Oshomame, a 20-year-old Nigerian artist, is closer than ever to fulfilling his childhood dream of exploring space. His painting Shared Aspirations travelled to space with the Shenzhou-16 mission, which ran from May to October 2023.  The artwork from the young Nigerian depicts an astronaut in a circle formed by the Chinese and Nigerian national flags and surrounded by stars, illustrating China-Africa collaboration based on a common goal. His painting, which gives an artistic expression to space exploration, was one of the 10 most…

On 5 March, national and global spotlight turned to the Great Hall of the People in Beijing where around 3,000 deputies gathered to open the second session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC). Over a span of seven days, the deputies, representing all of China’s ethnic groups, regions and sectors, discussed and decided on a range of issues critical for the country’s development.  This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the people’s congress system in China.…

In this year’s government work report, Chinese Premier Li Qiang pointed out that China will strive for solid progress in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. The country will steadily advance cooperation on major projects and implement a number of “small yet smart” projects for improving the people’s well-being.  As an international public product and cooperation platform, the achievements of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in the past 10 years have been noticed around the world. However, the spread of…