Xiangtan University Selected for China-Africa China-Africa Universities 100 Cooperation Plan

Written byWang Chengqi

Edited byLi Wenwen

Translated by Li Wenqiang, Huang Can

Source: News Center

Xiangtan University has recently received further good news in its exchanges and cooperation with Africa: it has been selected both as a Chinese member university of the China-Africa Universities 100 Cooperation Plan and as a Chinese member university of the China-Africa Consortium of Universities Exchange Mechanism.

To implement the major initiative of the China-Africa Talent Development Cooperation Plan proposed by President Xi Jinping at the China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue in Johannesburg, China has moved forward with the China-Africa Universities 100 Cooperation Plan on the basis of the earlier China-Africa Universities 20+20 Cooperation Plan. Under the guidance of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges of the Ministry of Education, the China Association of Higher Education organized the application and selection process. Following qualification review, expert evaluation, and public notification, 50 universities were selected as Chinese member universities of the China-Africa Universities 100 Cooperation Plan, while 252 universities were admitted as Chinese member universities of the China-Africa Consortium of Universities Exchange Mechanism.

The Chinese member universities selected for the China-Africa Universities 100 Cooperation Plan cover 10 fields, including digital education, health, and agricultural development. Xiangtan University was selected in the field of National Social Governance, based on its strengths in African law and social governance. Only Renmin University of China and Xiangtan University were selected in this field. Xiangtan University was also selected in the same field under the China-Africa Consortium of Universities Exchange Mechanism.

African law research is one of Xiangtan University’s distinctive strengths and ranks among the leading programs in China. Since 2010, the university has been selected for the Ministry of Education’s China-Africa Universities 20+20 Cooperation Plan; co-established a Confucius Institute with Makerere University in Uganda; been designated by the China Law Society as the country’s firstnational China-Africa Legal Training Base; and been named the permanent host of the Forum of Deans of China-Africa Law Schools. It has also been approved as the only Ministry of Education Innovative Collaborative Training Base for Foreign-related Rule of Law Talent (Africa) in Hunan Province.Among these achievements, the Forum of Deans of China-Africa Law Schools, the China-Africa Legal Talent Training Base, and the African Law Ascertainment Platform, all established or hosted by the university, were written into theForum on China-Africa Cooperation Dakar Action Plan (2022–2024), becoming part of the national cooperation framework and policy guidance.

To date, Xiangtan University has hosted 13 National Social Science Fund of China projects in the field of African law research, among whichTranslation, Research and Database Construction of Legal Texts from African Countries and Regionsis the only major National Social Science Fund project in this field nationwide. The university has published more than 60 academic monographs and translated works on African lawandover 600 academic papers, contributing more than 90% of the national theoretical research achievements in the field of African law. It published China’s first academic monograph on African law,An Introduction to African Law, in 2000,andlaunched China’s first academic journal on African law,Xiangtan UniversityAfrican Law Review, in 2015.For 11 consecutive years, it has maintained a special African law column in the core journal West Asia and Africa, and it has also established a legal column on African economic, trade and investment affairs in China Investment, publishing more than 100 articles in serial form. TheAfrican Law Series, consisting of 30 books across three categories of translation, research and textbooks, was selected into the National Special Plan for Key Book Publication during the 14th Five-Year Plan Period. The distinctive platform for China-Africa legal education and legal exchanges provides solid and effective support for international exchanges, scientific research and talent cultivation.