malvernmugadzikwa
Fatima Bulla-Musakwa
THE Research Centre for China-Africa Civilisation Exchange and Mutual Learning has been launched in Zimbabwe.
It will be based at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ).
The launch on Friday was attended by high-ranking officials from Zimbabwe and the Asian country.
China’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mr Zhou Ding, Renmin University of China chairperson of council and secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) Professor Zhang Donggang and the UZ Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Paul Mapfumo attended the launch.
The launch of the research centre is part of long-standing educational and cultural exchanges, which have been an integral part of the broad China-Zimbabwe relations.
The initiative also follows engagements between Harare and Beijing in line with the China’s President Xi Jinping’s 10 partnership action plans initiative.
Speaking at the launch, Ambassador Zhou said he believed the centre would provide a broad platform for high-quality academic exchanges and mutual learning among China, Zimbabwe and African countries.
“I also believe that the establishment of the centre will help to attain the goals of Heritage-Based Education 5.0, which emphasises the integration of teaching research, community service, innovation and industrialisation, and promote Zimbabwe to transform its demographic advantage into human resources and take full use of its talents dividend to advance modernisation in Zimbabwe,” he said.
The groundbreaking initiative is expected to promote academic research and innovation, supporting scholarly endeavours that explore multi-faceted dimensions of China-Africa relations.
This includes historical interactions, cultural exchanges, economic cooperation and contemporary challenges.
It will also facilitate intellectual exchange through organising conferences, seminars, workshops or symposia that bring together leading scholars from China, Africa and other parts of the world to share knowledge and expertise.
There will also be an opportunity to foster cultural diplomacy with the aim to enhance understanding and appreciation between China and Africa through exhibitions, performance and language programmes.
Professor Zhang said the joint research centre is an important measure and effective strategy to promote local exchanges and educational and scientific research cooperation between China and Africa.
“It is a model to strengthen exchanges and mutual learning between civilisations and to promote the all-weather relationship of a community with a shared future of mankind between China and Africa.”
Zimbabwe and China’s longstanding friendship is taken as a benchmark of China-Africa relations and a model of South-South cooperation. After the Covid-19 pandemic, educational and academic exchanges between the two countries have intensified.
Since 2023, China has provided around 100 scholarships to Zimbabwean students. About 700 Zimbabwean friends from all walks of life have attended various training and exchange programmes in China
Delegations from prestigious Chinese universities like Peking, Tsinghua and Fudan have visited the country.
The past year has also witnessed robust cultural exchanges between the two nations, with art troupes from China’s Henan, Jiangsu and Shanxi Province also coming into the country.
Through joint efforts, the International Conference on China-Africa Cultural Exchange, the Harare Forum for Africa Rural Development Cooperation, China-Zimbabwe Civilisation Dialogue Academic Week and the 23rd Chinese Bridge Competition Finals were all held.
Online Reporter