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On 29-30 November 2021, the Heads of Delegation of the People’s Republic of China, 53 African countries, and the African Union Commission (AUC), gathered in Dakar, Senegal for the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).
Under the theme “Deepen China-Africa Partnership and Promote Sustainable Development to Build a China-Africa Community with a Shared Future in the New Era” and the commitment to the development of FOCAC and to the deepening of the China-Africa comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership, China and Africa adopted by consensus the Dakar Declaration of the Eighth Ministerial Conference of FOCAC.
Against this backdrop, this dialogue invites China’s senior diplomatic expert and scholar, Ambassador Kuang Weilin, to connect the conference spirit with the learning and growth of young people, and Chinese and African youth representatives to share ideas and experiences in terms of industrialization development, innovation and entrepreneurship, public health and people-to-people bonding, etc.
In the first part of the dialogue, Mukeh Ernest George Ndomahina, the Sierra Leone Youth Representative, read the letter of support from the Sierra Leone embassy, which expressed recognition of the win-win cooperation between Sierra Leone and China, the expectation for the youth of both sides and the hope that Chinese and African youth continue to unite, cooperate and instill new momentum to China-Africa comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership.
Then, former Chinese Ambassador to Sierra Leone, the first Chinese Ambassador to the African Union and UN Economic Commission for Africa, Ambassador Kuang Weili delivered the keynote speech, which appreciated the successful FOCAC, reviewed the four proposals on building a China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era spelled out by President Xi Jinping, and encouraged the youth to take concrete steps to upgrade partnership and expand cooperation in various aspects to fight against the COVID pandemic and create a new boost for the cooperation of China and Africa.
In the session of the panel discussion, Akofor Nkecho Thierry from Cameroonshared his thoughts and views on the future of Chinese and African industrialization; Olivier Mendoo from Cameroon briefed the youth leadership programs, youth potentiality, and FOCAC framework, and proposed actions needed to build the Africa we want in the future; Nathan Miayiza Diwambuena from the Republic of Congo stressed the significance of building cultural foundation among the youth by telling Chinese story in Africa and telling African story in China; GUO Jiying shared her views on people-to-people bonding with what she had witnessed in an orphanage in Nairobi and SHI Huajie shared his story of facilitating the accessibility of electricity in Kenya.
In the final question and answer session, many participants actively raised questions about the content of the guest and panelist. Among them, an African student, Grace Mudoti, expressed her deep recognition of this dialogue and the guest speech and asked for the practical ways that students can be involved in building the industrial development in technology in Africa as well as more access to more platforms alike. With Ambassador Kuang’s and other panelists’ insightful answers and discussion, the dialogue came to an end.
