African Delegation Attends Seminar at Xiangtan University

Written by: Fang Xiaoqing and Zhang Gan

Photo by: Zhang Gan

Edited by: Zhang Gan

Translated by: Li Tingting, Xiao Liang

Source: Publicity Department of the Party Committee, China-Africa Research Institute

On April 13, the Seminar on Ecological CivilizationDevelopmentand Green Poverty Reduction for African Officials and ScholarsopenedatXiangtanUniversity. A total of 20 officials and scholars from nine African countries—Angola, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa and Zimbabwe—will embark on a 14-day study tour. Combining special lectures with fieldtrips, theseminareffectively promotes cultural exchanges and mutual learning between China and Africa in the fields of ecological civilization and green poverty alleviation.

Edson Ulisses de Carvalho Alves Barreto, Director of the Human Resources Office of the Presidency of Angola, and Liao Yong’an, President of Xiangtan University and Dean of the China-Africa Research Institute, attended the opening ceremony.

Liao Yong’an extended a warm welcome to the Africanfriends. He noted that theseminaris an important initiative under the action plans of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation,aimingto promote mutual learning between China and Africa in green development and ecological governance throughthematiclectures, practical teaching and culturalvisits, etc. He expressed the hope that the Africanfriends would gain knowledge and friendship during thestay, personally perceive the development of Chinese-style modernization, and sharetheexperienceofgreen development.

Liao Yong’an and Edson Ulisses de Carvalho Alves Barreto jointlyinauguratedthe China-Africa Human Rights Research Center of Xiangtan University.Co-founded by the Faculty of Law and the China-Africa Institute of Xiangtan University, the center is dedicated to conducting systematic research on human rights theories and institutions of China and Africa. It will serve China-Africa human rights diplomacy and rule of law cooperation, support compliance management of Hunan-based enterprises’investment in Africa, and build a platform for exchange and dialogue on human rights between China and Africa.The founding of the China-Africa Human Rights Research Center is an important measure to serve national strategies, expand the university’s strengths in African studies, and bolster Hunan’s cooperation with African countries. By integrating resources both on and off campus, the center will strive to develop into an influential domestic platform for China-Africa human rights research.

“It fills me with great excitement to be in Xiangtan, the hometown of Chairman Mao Zedong,”said Edson Ulisses de Carvalho Alves Barreto. He spoke highly of the valuable opportunities created by the China-Africa cooperation initiatives for friendly exchanges between the two peoples, and expressed his readiness to deepen exchanges and cooperation withXiangtanUniversity in fields such as sustainable development and social governance.

After the opening ceremony, Liao Yong’an delivered the first thematic report, systematically expounding the new concepts and new thinking of modern commercial mediation.He pointed out that commercial mediation, boasting the advantages of flexibility, cost-effectiveness and efficiency, has become an important bridge for resolving China-Africa commercial disputes and safeguarding bilateral business relations. He stressed that establishing a commercial mediation mechanism tailored to the realities of China and Africa is of great significance for promoting mutually beneficial cooperation and long-term steady development between the two sides.Combined with the current practice of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation, the reportshowed the wisdom ofXiangtan University and sense of responsibility in advancing the research and practice of China-Africa commercial mediation mechanisms, anditresonatedwidely among all participants.

Xiangtan University hasmade firmstrides in advancing China-Africa exchangesand research. Focusing on key priorities including serving the construction of the Hunan Pilot Zone for In-depth China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation and promoting the building of a diversified dispute resolution mechanism for China-Africa commercial disputes, Xiangtan University has demonstrated its concrete efforts and contributed its unique intellectual strengths to the cause.Organizedby the China-Africa Institute andhostedby Xiangtan University, thisseminaris a tangible initiative forXiangtan Universityto continuously deepen its long-term Africa-focused research and serve national strategies. It not only builds an important platform for China-Africa cooperation on green development, but also injects fresh vitality into fosteringamuch closerChina-Africa community with a shared future.