(Photo/Xinhua)

Chinese experts and scholars hail the newly established China-Africa Institute, which is expected to offer an important platform for the development of bilateral ties.

The China-Africa Institute was established on April 9 by the China Academy of Social Sciences in response to President Xi Jinping’s call to build a closer China-Africa community of shared future and implement eight major initiatives at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in 2018.

Speaking at a seminar on Monday in Beijing, Xu Weizhong, director of the Institute for African Studies, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said China-Africa cooperation, as a vital part of South-South cooperation, has great significance in stimulating equal cooperation and enhancing the concept of building a shared future for mankind, which is expected to the prevail over unilateralism and anti-globalization across world.

The intimate China-Africa relationship will provide precious experience for global governance in this continent, he added.

“I hope the establishment of the China-Africa Institute will be an opportunity to deepen the exchanges and interactions between think tank scholars from China and Africa, to strengthen construction of China-Africa soft power and discourse rights, and to play an important role in jointly building a community with a shared future for all humankind, as well as aligning the Belt and Road Initiative with the African Union Agenda 2063,” said Li Chong, counselor of the African Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China.

“The establishment of the China-Africa Institute offers a crucial platform for talent training,” said Ai Ping, vice president of Chinese Association for International Understanding, also former vice minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee.

“African experts and scholars believe that the people-to-people exchanges between the two countries could be largely improved through this platform, and joint endeavor from government, academic circles, and people are called for strengthening friendship,” commented Li Dan, director of the African Research Center, China Foreign Affairs University.

Similarly, Ai pointed out that cultural exchanges and think tank cooperation between the two countries should play an important role in boosting the bilateral ties.

Upon the inauguration of the China-Africa Institute on April 9, President Xi talked about the time-honored friendship between their peoples and the global significance of bilateral ties in his congratulatory letter.