To commemorate the 2018 FOCAC Summit, China Daily held its 4thVision China Talk under the theme: “Sino-Africa Cooperation in Building a Shared Future for Humankind’. China Director of Development Reimagined Zahra Baitie joined three other distinguished guests:
- Jin Liqun, President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)
- David Gosset , Founder of the China-Europe Forum
- Hodan Abdi, Advisor of Somali President and the Founder and Executive Director at Center for East African Studies at Institute of African Studies, Zhejiang Normal University
The four speakers shared their thoughts on the future of Sino-African cooperation. In her TED-style talk, Ms Baitie argued for a new era of Africa-China collaboration based on a deeper understanding of common goals and problems:
“Our cultures, however distinct, share similar values: our respect for the elderly, the importance of family and community, our reverence for history and culture. In a similar vein, we also share concerns: the impact of automation on employment, pollution in our cities…”
She also shared five key elements of a reimagined era of Africa-China collaboration:
- More Open Homes
- More Open Borders
- A Chinese Market more open to products Value-Added in Africa
- A shift from cooperation to co-creation
- Increased African agency
The speech was viewed over 28,000 times, and attracted a great deal of interest across the globe.
Watch the video below to hear the full speech!