Get Guardian on GoogleChinese and African scholars have called for stronger collaboration in trade, industrialisation, research and knowledge exchange, urging both sides to ensure that China’s zero-tariff policy for African countries translate into tangible economic and development gains.
They made the call at the opening of the 15th China-Africa Think Tanks Forum in Yiwu, Zhejiang Province, China, where participants also urged African countries to strengthen their research institutions and develop independent development strategies that reflect their national circumstances.
According to a statement, the two-day meeting with a theme, Openness, Cooperation, Mutual Learning and Shared Development: China and Africa Joining Hands to Advance Modernisation’, featured two plenary sessions, four parallel forums and a closing ceremony.
At the opening ceremony, Chinese and African scholars unveiled two documents – the Think Tank Action Declaration on China-Africa Cooperation to Advance Modernisation in the Global South, and China-Africa Consensus on Mutual Learning Between Civilisations.
The documents seek to promote cooperation between Chinese and African research institutions, encourage exchanges of governance experience and strengthen the intellectual contributions of both sides to the development of the Global South.
Speaking at the meeting, Chief Diplomatic Adviser to the former President of Senegal, Oumar Demba Ba, said Africa and China had maintained longstanding relations founded on peace and mutual respect.
He noted that the growing threat of unilateralism and trade protectionism made stronger cooperation between both sides necessary, particularly following China’s decision to extend zero-tariff treatment to African countries with which it has diplomatic relations.
Ba urged stakeholders to work towards implementing the policy through existing cooperation frameworks, including the Belt and Road Initiative and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.
He said the two sides should study the conditions required to make the arrangements effective, adding that the initiative would help translate political commitments into tangible development outcomes.
Ba also called on African countries to strengthen their think tanks and develop independent narratives capable of challenging longstanding prejudices about the continent.
Senior Consultant, Policy Studies Institute of Ethiopia, Balew Demissie, charged Africa to pursue a development path based on its national circumstances rather than adopt a single model of modernisation.
According to him, the continent’s development strategy must reflect its aspirations under Agenda 2063.
Demissie urged African and Chinese research institutions to move beyond exchanging information to jointly producing knowledge that could influence development policies and global governance.
He also called for stronger collaboration in policy research, institutional partnerships, exchanges among young scholars and responses to emerging challenges, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Ambassador for the Affairs of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, Liu Yuxi, said China’s zero-tariff measures for African countries have started yielding results, with imports from the continent increasing by 21.6 per cent between May and September, compared with the corresponding period in 2025.
Liu said the measures will not only improve livelihoods but also provide fresh impetus for Africa’s industrialisation. He therefore urged scholars from both sides to deepen research on shared development priorities, exchange governance experiences and provide intellectual support for stronger economic and diplomatic relations.
