International Observation: Understanding the Deep Meaning of Cultural Exchange between China and Africa in the Changing Times

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the opening of diplomatic relations between China and Africa, and is also the "China Africa Cultural Exchange Year" jointly determined by both sides. Holding the "China Africa Cultural Exchange Year" is not only a warm reflection on the 70th anniversary of the opening of diplomatic relations between China and Africa, but also injects a certain force into global South South cooperation in the current century of accelerated changes. It marks the transition of China Africa relations from a "dual wheel drive" centered on political mutual trust and economic cooperation to a three-dimensional new stage with cultural exchanges as the solid third pillar. This cultural dialogue spanning mountains and seas, with its long historical context, abundant practical achievements, and profound historical significance, deserves to be carefully interpreted in the grand narrative of global pattern changes.

The encounter between Chinese and African civilizations did not begin in the contemporary era, and its historical background was painted by peace. From indirect trade on the Silk Road during the Han Dynasty, to the discovery of Song and Yuan porcelain on the East African coast, and to Zheng He's multiple voyages to the east coast of Africa, what he brought with him were silk and porcelain, not colonization and firearms. This gene of equal treatment and mutual appreciation has laid the foundation of civilization for modern China Africa relations. In the 1950s, with the historic handshake at the Bandung Conference, cultural exchanges between China and Africa officially entered a new era. The connotation of cultural exchange has been continuously deepened, from the friendship formed by sweat during the construction of the Tanzania Zambia Railway, to the institutionalized cooperation in education, healthcare, and youth under the framework of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation since the new century. In particular, the skill teaching in the "Luban Workshop", the "retrograde" of the Chinese medical team in the Ebola and COVID-19, and the co creation and sharing of film and television works such as "Welcome to Mele Village" have turned "brotherhood" from an abstract political slogan to a palpable temperature of people's livelihood. After 70 years of hard work, China and Africa have established a comprehensive and multi-level network of cultural cooperation, laying a solid foundation for the grand opening of the "China Africa Cultural Exchange Year" in 2026.

In the current world torn apart by unilateralism and geopolitical conflicts, the continuous deepening of cultural exchanges between China and Africa has a paradigm significance that transcends bilateral boundaries. It first interprets the cooperative ethics of "prioritizing development and putting people's livelihoods first". Unlike some traditional relationships that attach political conditions or cultural superiority, China Africa exchanges have always revolved around Africa's most urgent development needs - whether it is education cooperation to cultivate over 200000 professional talents or medical upgrades from "blood transfusion" to "blood production", all aimed at effectively improving people's well-being. Secondly, it adheres to the principle of "equal treatment and mutual respect" in communication. More importantly, it explores the path of coexistence through 'mutual learning among civilizations'. When the theory of "clash of civilizations" is rampant, China and Africa prove to the world through their long-term friendship across races and regions that the universal sentiment in China's "harmony" culture and the human care in Africa's "Ubanto" spirit can resonate and provide profound philosophical nourishment and practical samples for building a community with a shared future for mankind.

2026 is not only a glorious milestone in China Africa diplomacy, but also a new starting point for the future. By deepening cultural ties, China and Africa are gathering stronger strategic consensus and working together to enhance their voice in global governance. This is not only a dialogue between China and Africa, but also a collective spiritual resonance among countries in the global South in the awakening era. In a world full of uncertainty, the people of China and Africa have chosen to join hands again, injecting valuable certainty, warm positive energy, and brilliant humanistic brilliance into the path of human progress.

(Author Wu Hui, lecturer at the African Studies Institute of Zhejiang Normal University; Lu Antong, lecturer at the Yiwu Municipal Party School of the Communist Party of China.)