Beijing plans to boost links with African think tank researchers

The China-Africa Institute introduced a sustainable development exchange mechanism on Saturday at a forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, aimed at increasing exchange opportunities for Chinese and African think tanks.

Wang Lei, the director-general of Bureau of International Cooperation at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the mechanism was the fruit of the International Conference on Africa and China: Jointly Promoting Sustainable Development, which was held on Friday and Saturday, attracting more than 300 participants.

"We are open and eager to have active participants from our African counterpart institutions and the academic circles," he said adding that the institute will fund activities under the mechanism such as joint research projects, training programs and high-level conferences.

The mechanism will focus on promoting China-Africa dialogues and mutual learning on sustainable development and cooperation for green, innovative and win-win development.

Wang said he hoped for regular and well-structured communication and his institute would hold several trainings and professional seminars both in Africa and China.

Following the initiation of the mechanism, Chinese and African researchers were invited to make joint proposals for collaborative research projects.

The China-Africa Institute will arrange several two-week training programs in China, each with 25 participants.

This is in addition to providing intellectual and talent support for building a closer China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era, Wang said.

African government officials, researchers from think tanks and other experts will be invited to participate in these programs to discuss topics such as leadership and capacity building in the public sector, urban management, poverty alleviation and sustainable development.

Arkebe Oqubay, a senior minister and adviser to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that China-Africa cooperation has been based on basic principles of win-win, mutual respect and the principle of noninterference, which has been able to give it a solid base.

Albert Muchanga, the Africa Union's commissioner for trade and industry, said the strengthened ties between China and Africa has been playing a pertinent role in human resource development and capacity building for African countries.

He said there have been tangible results in educational infrastructure, talent development, introduction of agro-technology to improve food security and enhancement of Africa's health sector.

The conference was sponsored by the China-Africa Institute and the African Union Commission and organized by the Department of Economic Affairs of the African Union Commission and the Bureau of International Cooperation of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

The joint research projects will focus on topics such as poverty reduction, ecological and environmental protection, innovation and industrial development as well as education, employment and urbanization.

The project will run for a year, after which a joint team will submit a research report to be published in journals or online.