Lesotho ambassador praises 'Village Super League' model, calls for deeper China‑Africa cooperation in poverty alleviation and trade

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and African countries, a group of 18 diplomats and friendly personnel from nine African countries made a visit to Guiyang city and Rongjiang county, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture, southwest China's Guizhou Province, from June 12 to 15, 2026.

The trip was jointly organized by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), the Guizhou Provincial People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and the Guizhou Provincial Sports Bureau.

As part of the celebrations marking the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, the trip's highlight occurred during the evening of June 13, when the delegation's own football team, dubbed the "Dream Team," played a friendly match against Chengdu Dongjiao FC from southwest China's Sichuan Province. The match took place on a pitch in Rongjiang county, a small county known for its grassroot Village Super League, or "Cun Chao" in Chinese.

A friendly football match between the "Dream Team," a team composed of diplomats and friendly personnel from nine African countries, against Chengdu Dongjiao FC from southwest China's Sichuan Province takes place on a pitch in Rongjiang county, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture, southwest China's Guizhou Province. (People's Daily Online/Peng Yukai)

Mapaballo Lydia Mile, ambassador of Lesotho to China, who watched the match and felt the excitement on the pitch, shared keen insights on how grassroots sports, targeted poverty alleviation, and cross‑cultural learning can deepen Sino‑African cooperation.

Knowing that the Village Super League is an amateur football tournament played largely by local farmers, Mile noted that Lesotho, a highly mountainous country that shares similar geographic conditions with Guizhou, has a lot to learn from the province's development model that combines sports and tourism.

Mapaballo Lydia Mile, left, ambassador of Lesotho to China, visits an exhibition of the Village Super League, or "Cun Chao," in Rongjiang county, southwest China's Guizhou Province. (People's Daily Online/Peng Yukai)

"There's a lot to learn about how we can integrate sport into bringing real development to improve the lives of our people, especially the most vulnerable," Mile added.

The ambassador stressed that the Village Super League is "not just a game," but a vehicle for people‑to‑people connections, particularly for youth, and called for more mutual visits and exchanges between the two continents.

Impressed by Guizhou's transformation from a poor, mountainous region into a thriving hub of China's inland opening-up, Mile pointed to exemplary leadership, particularly the leadership of the government, as the key takeaway. She also stated that targeted policies can always address a lot of inequality issues that exist within society.

"What stood out for me was they send their top leaders into communities to actually live there and help people get their structures together, so that everybody can really be lifted out of poverty," she said.

China has implemented a unilateral zero-tariff policy to all 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic ties on May 1, 2026. In Mile's perspective, African countries, including Lesotho, will benefit greatly from the policy.

"Agriculture is the priority sector that African nations can benefit from," said Mile. "Especially in the application of technology, I have seen that China uses AI to develop within their fields, so it's something we can learn. In addition, China's infrastructure support under the Belt and Road Initiative has also helped mountain areas like those in Lesotho to progress," said Mile.

Miles reaffirmed her commitment to fostering bilateral ties, not just between China and Lesotho, but between China and the African continent. She emphasized that the Year of China‑Africa People‑to‑People Exchanges provides a timely platform for shared learning, adding that "there's always an opportunity to learn across cultures."

The Lesotho ambassador's visit to Guizhou underscores the growing synergy between China and Africa—not only in trade and infrastructure, but also in grassroots innovation, cultural dialogue, and mutual inspiration for inclusive development.