Executive Summary
- Over 40 billion yuan (approximately 5.65 billion U.S. dollars) in cooperation projects were signed at the 2025 Forum on China-Africa Economic, Trade and Cultural Cooperation in Jinhua, China.
- The 33 signed projects span trade, overseas investment, engineering contracting, and overseas warehouses, with Jinhua serving as a significant hub for China-Africa economic activity and cultural exchanges.
- African leaders praised China’s “truly remarkable” contributions to the continent’s development and economic transformation, emphasizing cooperation in finance, infrastructure, and education.
The Story So Far
- The 2025 Forum on China-Africa Economic, Trade and Cultural Cooperation builds upon a long-standing commitment to deepen comprehensive ties between China and Africa, leveraging Jinhua’s emergence as a significant hub for bilateral trade and cultural exchange. This ongoing cooperation is viewed by African nations as crucial for their economic transformation and modernization goals, encompassing not only commerce but also vital cultural and educational initiatives aimed at fostering a shared future.
Why This Matters
- The signing of over 40 billion yuan in cooperation projects at the China-Africa forum signifies a substantial deepening of economic and trade ties, positioning China as a crucial partner in Africa’s development and modernization agenda, including facilitating tariff-free access for African products. This expanding partnership, underpinned by significant cultural and educational exchanges, aims to foster long-term mutual prosperity and human connections, reinforcing China’s strategic influence on the continent.
Who Thinks What?
- The forum’s organizers and participants from China aim to deepen economic, trade, and cultural ties between China and Africa, fostering win-win partnerships, a joint modernization agenda, and a resilient China-Africa community with a shared future, with Jinhua serving as a significant hub for this cooperation.
- African officials, including Daniel Mukoko Samba and Chakil Aboobacar, consider China’s contributions to Africa’s development “truly remarkable and deeply inspiring,” providing “strength and hope” for the continent’s economic transformation, and view China as a “key partner” in finance, infrastructure, and education, reflecting a commitment to shared growth.
Jinhua, China – Cooperation projects totaling over 40 billion yuan (approximately 5.65 billion U.S. dollars) were signed on Friday at the 2025 Forum on China-Africa Economic, Trade and Cultural Cooperation in Jinhua, an eastern Chinese city in Zhejiang Province. The forum convened more than 400 guests from 38 countries and regions, aiming to deepen economic, trade, and cultural ties between China and Africa under the theme of “Economic and Trade Prosperity, Cultural Mutual Learning, Win-Win Partnerships, and People-to-People Bonds.”
Expanding Economic and Trade Ties
The agreements encompass 33 distinct projects, covering a range of sectors including trade, overseas investment, engineering contracting, and the construction of overseas warehouses. This initiative underscores efforts to strengthen bilateral partnerships and contribute to a joint modernization agenda, building on the broader framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.
Jinhua has emerged as a significant hub for China-Africa economic activity. Official data indicates that in the first nine months of 2025, the city’s exports to Africa surged to 111.49 billion yuan, marking a 27.5 percent year-on-year increase and representing 9.5 percent of China’s total exports to the continent. Concurrently, an increasing number of African specialty products, such as coffee and avocados, are entering the Chinese market through zero-tariff channels via Jinhua.
Cultural and Educational Exchanges
Beyond commerce, the forum emphasized cultural and educational exchange as foundational elements of the partnership. The Zhejiang Wuju Opera Troupe, based in Jinhua, has performed traditional Chinese arts in 14 African countries. Local educational institutions in Jinhua have also become important bridges for Africa-related studies, having educated over 15,000 African students from more than 50 countries.
Zhejiang Normal University, notably, has actively promoted Africa-focused programs since the 1990s. Each year, over 1,000 African students register for degree or study programs at the university, and more than 200 African educators have participated in its digital education training programs.
African Perspectives on Cooperation
Daniel Mukoko Samba, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, stated in an interview with Xinhua that China’s contributions to Africa’s development are “truly remarkable and deeply inspiring.” He noted that the forum arrives at a “defining moment in Africa’s history,” as the continent strives for economic transformation under the African Union’s Agenda 2063, adding that the partnership provides “strength and hope” for this journey.
Chakil Aboobacar, secretary-general of Mozambique’s Frelimo Party, highlighted China as a “key partner” in his country’s economic development, citing cooperation in finance, infrastructure, and education. He added that China’s investments in Mozambique reflect both countries’ commitment to shared growth and serve as a “powerful testament to our friendship, solidarity and brotherhood.”
Individual Success Stories and Future Outlook
Nabil Azaroual, a 25-year-old buyer from Morocco who spent his university years in Zhejiang, shared his experience of starting his own company with support from China, describing himself as a “bridge between China and Morocco.” His story reflects the broader aim of fostering individual connections and opportunities through the bilateral partnership.
This year marked the seventh edition of the forum, which has historically organized over 100 supporting events and facilitated the signing of more than 100 China-Africa cooperation projects. The upcoming year is designated as the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, underscoring a continued focus on mutual understanding and trust.
Looking Forward
The forum’s outcomes reinforce the commitment to fostering deeper economic and cultural bonds, reflecting the shared aspirations of both sides for mutual prosperity. Participants underlined the belief that robust cooperation is essential for building a resilient China-Africa community with a shared future, emphasizing the enduring importance of people-to-people connections as a foundation for sustainable economic engagement.
