Photos, videos embody friendship with Africa

Officials have called for more people-to-people exchanges between China and Africa to solidify the foundation for bilateral ties during an award ceremony for a China-Africa video and photo competition in Beijing on Thursday.

The competition, which began in May, saw more than 2,500 short videos and photos featuring China-Africa friendship submitted by participants from China and African countries, with more than 60 percent of submissions from African participants, said the China International Publishing Group, a co-sponsor of the competition.

The videos and photos feature a wide range of topics relating to China-Africa exchanges and cooperation, such as African students studying Chinese language and culture and starting up businesses in China, and Chinese teams sent to Africa to aid in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, said Li Jianguo, editor-in-chief of Beijing Review.

A total of 89 photos and videos were given awards after a round of online public voting and assessment by an evaluation panel of 11 experts from countries including China, South Africa and Kenya.

Deng Li, assistant minister of foreign affairs, said the numerous stories in these photos and videos are touching and enlightening, embodying the China-Africa friendship.

Gao Anming, vice-president and editor-in-chief of the China International Publishing Group, said people-to-people exchange is a crucial part of China-Africa relations and has served to lay a solid foundation for the friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two sides.

Gao said he expects to see more people promote friendship and bilateral ties through videos, words and photos to contribute to a closer China-Africa community with a shared future.

China-Africa exchanges and cooperation have been increasing in recent years despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Bilateral trade reached $139 billion in the first seven months of this year, an increase of 40.5 percent compared with the same period last year, according to data from the Ministry of Commerce.

Thursday's award ceremony was held ahead of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, which will be held in the West African nation of Senegal later this year.