People-to-people ties are bedrock of China-Africa development

The designation of this year as the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges is far more than a symbolic gesture. It is a profound recognition of a fundamental truth.

While infrastructure, trade and investment form the skeleton of international partnership, it is the flesh, blood and spirit of human connection that give it life, purpose and resilience.

As China and Africa consolidate their comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, the intentional cultivation of people-to-people ties is not a supplementary activity; it is the essential catalyst for transforming the development framework into an enduring, mutually owned and socially-rooted community with a shared future.

The importance of these bonds is multifaceted. First, they build the essential reservoir of trust and understanding that sustains cooperation through inevitable challenges.

Grand projects and high-level diplomacy can be misinterpreted or fall prey to stereotypes, if not underpinned by genuine human interaction.

When African students study in China, Chinese medical teams serve in remote villages, or artists collaborate on a joint performance, they become living bridges. They demystify cultures, debunk prejudices and create a personal stake in the success of the broader relationship.

This grassroots trust acts as a shock absorber, ensuring that the partnership is resilient to political cycles or media sensationalism.

Second, people-to-people exchanges are the crucible of innovation and mutual learning. The development challenges of the 21st Century require not just financial capital, but adaptable ideas and shared intellectual capital.

This people-led innovation ensures that solutions are not merely transplanted, but are co-created, culturally attuned and thus more sustainable and effective.
Third, these ties future-proof the partnership by investing in the next generation. The tens of thousands of African youth studying in China and the growing number of Chinese learning Swahili, Hausa or Amharic are not just students, they are future leaders, CEOs, journalists and community influencers.

Their first-hand experiences, networks and affections will shape the trajectory of China-Africa relations for decades to come, ensuring continuity and a deeper, more nuanced dialogue.

Stereotypes and persistent misinformation, often amplified by non-participant third parties, can undermine on-the-ground realities. The human stories of cooperation struggle to gain as much traction as politicized narratives of debt or influence.

Recognizing the challenges, both sides have launched significant initiatives to foster crucial exchanges. Programs like the China-Africa Universities 20+20 Cooperation Plan and the expansion of Confucius Institutes, alongside the dramatic increase in scholarships under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation framework, are building a vast academic network.

The Luban Workshops also stand out, providing high-quality vocational training in key sectors directly aligned with African industrialization goals.
The China-Africa Cultural Partnership Initiative and regular film festivals, museum exchanges and publishing collaborations are actively narrating the story beyond headlines.

In addition, simplified visa policies and more direct flights are making travel easier, turning distant lands into viable destinations.

Other platforms, like the China-Africa Think Tanks Forum and the China-Africa Youth Festival, provide critical spaces for intellectuals and young leaders to debate, envision and directly contribute to the partnership’s intellectual architecture.

The China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges comes at a critical juncture. By placing human connection at the very heart of the development partnership, China and Africa have the opportunity to build something truly unique: a partnership measured not only in kilometers of rail or trade volume, but in the millions of threads of mutual understanding, respect and affection woven between peoples.

It is these threads, forged through shared classrooms, research labs, cultural stages and community projects, that will bind the two sides together, creating an unbreakable chain capable of bearing the weight of a shared and prosperous future.

The task is to move beyond designating a year, and to institutionalize a century of people-centered dialogue.

The author is a scholar of international relations with a focus on China-Africa development cooperation based in Nairobi, Kenya.

The views do not necessarily represent those of China Daily.

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