NAIROBI, April 3, 2025 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Ting 2025 Forum was held in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Wednesday, bringing together senior government officials, diplomats, scholars, industry leaders and media representatives to explore ways to advance the modernization of China-Africa cooperation.
The forum, hosted by the Africa regional office of Xinhua News Agency, was held under the theme "China-Africa dialogue on the road to modernisation". Korir Sing'Oei, Principal Secretary, Kenya's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, said the forum reaffirmed the importance of promoting Sino-African dialogue to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.
According to Sing'Oei, the Sino-African partnership is desirable and beneficial as it matches the aspirations of both sides in a rapidly changing geopolitical environment. Kenya fully supports China's Belt and Road Initiative, as well as its Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilisation Initiative, which bring together like-minded nations to address the evolving needs of humanity, he said.
"As Kenya progresses in its modernisation efforts, the government looks forward to learning from China's best practices. I believe other African countries will want to do the same," Sing'Oei said.
Guo Haiyan, China's ambassador to Kenya, said China and its African partners share a desire to modernise their economies and achieve shared prosperity, peace and stability.
The joint modernisation of China and Africa has taken on new urgency, with their leaders agreeing on the need to accelerate reconstruction efforts that promote inclusiveness, peace, security and harmony between humanity and nature, Guo said. She also called for a stronger Sino-African partnership and greater consensus on protecting the interests of countries in the global South.
Peter Kagwanja, executive director of the Africa Policy Institute, a pan-African think tank based in Nairobi, said given their shared history and destiny, Africa and China should engage in dialogue, exchange knowledge and share best practices to advance their modernisation trajectories.
According to Kagwanji, the modernization efforts of China and African countries should be domestic and based on mutual respect to ensure a lasting impact on societies seeking sustainable growth, inclusion and stability.
"China and Africa have chosen the path of independent modernization and peaceful development based on dialogue as envisaged by the Global Civilization Initiative," Kagwanja said, adding that dialogue between China and Africa dates back to the Silk Road era when ancient civilizations converged to exchange goods, services and ideas in the fields of culture, economics and governance.
Mustafa Ali, co-founder and chairman of the Horn International Institute for Strategic Studies, a Nairobi-based think tank, said China is already a pioneer of modernisation and can use its soft power to strengthen multilateralism amid rising geopolitical tensions.
thediplomaticsociety.co.za / gnenws.cz
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