As the world faces challenges from threats, disputes, and misunderstandings, we need to work together to showcase different cultures, learn about them, respect them, and learn from each one, said various scholars and experts at the 2024 Beijing Culture Forum on Thursday.

In his video speech, former French prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin said that the High-level People-to-people Exchange Mechanism between China and France has showcased the mutual respect between the two great civilizations.

As today's world grapples with threats and challenges, Chinese people, French people, or other people with good intentions "must ensure that culture powers cooperation. The world must choose cooperation instead of tension and confrontation," he said.

With a permanent theme of "Inheritance, Creativity, Mutual Learning," the forum has "Enhance Culture Exchanges for Common Progress" as its theme for this year. A main forum, six sub-forums, and 32 professional seminars and relevant cultural activities will be held during the three-day event.

Over 800 participants from home and abroad including Raffarin, Irina Bokova, former director-general of UNESCO and Yukio Hatoyama, former Japanese prime minister, held in-depth discussions on topics including mutual learning between civilizations and common progress, spiritual life and industrial development, cultural heritage protection and inheritance, and new cultural business forms and technology integration.

GCI, a shared solution

China's Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) has called for the upholding of the principles of equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness among civilizations. The initiative advocates respect for the diversity of civilizations, the common values of humanity, the importance of inheritance and innovation of civilizations, as well as robust international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation.

From languages to customs, history… All of these elements make up cultural diversity, which is the basis for mutual respect among people of all countries and influences international relationships.

"That's the reason why France and China decided to take turns hosting the Sino-French Cultural Forum," Raffarin explained.

Christine Cayol, French vice president of the Sino-French Cultural Forum, told the Global Times that she has been expecting the upcoming forum, to be held in the French city of Deauville in November this year, which aims to "share our mutual perspective about transmission."
Thanks to GCI's ideas of mutual learning and exchanges, she said she had the chance to attend the forum twice together with other guests.

"It is not a political or financial forum, but a cultural one. It is very special and even more precious," she said.

In contrast to the Western claims of the "superiority of certain civilizations and a clash of civilizations," China has called for the upholding of the principles of equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness among civilizations. It emphasizes the importance of cultural exchanges transcending estrangement, mutual learning transcending clashes, and coexistence transcending feelings of superiority.

Robert Walker, a fellow at the Academy of Social Sciences in the UK, told the Global Times that the world "is experiencing enormous tensions. We have to work together to solve common problems" as well as hosting events like the Beijing Culture Forum, a platform for people to share and communicate.

Alexandros Modiano, chairman of the West-East Urban Governance Institute in Greece said, "Culture is a slippery, but yet very safe place to invite people from different horizons to be together [and] understand each other. And when we understand each other, we ­appreciate each other. We learn from our differences, and we are richer every day, because we understand how complementary our own culture is vis-à-vis Chinese culture."

Positive trajectory

The Report on China's Cultural Exchanges with the World was released at the forum on Thursday. Based on publicly available documents, data, and case studies from various institutions, it is the result of research on China's cultural exchanges with the world in 2023.

The report reveals that, in the face of challenges and opportunities, cultural exchanges between China and other countries in 2023 showed a rapid recovery and a positive trajectory, thanks to a focus on balancing security and development while prioritizing cooperation and mutual benefit. Such exchanges not only expanded in scale quickly approaching pre-pandemic levels, but also became more diverse in form, innovative in approach, and more in-depth in dialogue, entering a new phase of high-quality development.

As China's cultural center, Beijing has played an important role in such exchanges and seen so many foreign visits and people-to-people exchanges. Irina Bokova has been to Beijing, a historical city with a long history, many times. In her speech, she introduced the city's cultural and creativity resources.

In 2012, she witnessed the moment when Beijing joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) as a City of Design for its sci-tech and cultural innovation. In July, Beijing Central Axis: A Building Ensemble Exhibiting the Ideal Order of the Chinese Capital was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, becoming China's 59th World Heritage Site.

A series of activities and events to promote Beijing's cultural achievement and preservation work will be held during the forum.

China leads the 2024 Paris Summer Paralympics medal table with 20 gold medals and 42 total medals as of Sunday (local time). Since the end of the second day of competition, Chinese athletes have set six new world records.

Behind every medal won by the athletes is an unyielding and inspiring story, and more importantly, a persistent pursuit of their dreams.

"The greatness of the Paralympic athletes lies in their extraordinary perseverance and resolve in the face of physical challenges. Their stories inspire the world, demonstrating the limitless potential of human capability," Luo Le, a sports scholar at the Beijing University of Chemical Technology, told the Global Times.

In the swimming events, Chinese swimmer Guo Jincheng competed in three consecutive finals. After winning a silver medal and breaking the Asian record in the men's S5 100m freestyle final, he and his teammates netted a gold medal in the mixed 4x50m freestyle relay final, fulfilling his Paraympic gold medal dream.

During the training period for the Paris 2024 Paralympics, Guo intensified his training with each session exceeding 10,000 meters in the pools. "Despite the high intensity, he never complained of fatigue. I know it's the dream of the Paralympics that motivates him," said Liu Zhenzhai, Guo's coach.

"To practice breath-holding, I pushed myself to the limit each time, often until nearly suffocating before taking a breath," Guo said.

He practiced breathing techniques with a basin of water at night after daytime pool sessions, gradually extending his breath-holding time from one minute to nearly two, and reducing his breathing intervals in the pool from three times to once per 50 meters.
'My own hero'

Guo lost both arms in an accident when he was only five years old, but this did not deter him from pursuing his dreams. Since joining the swim team at age 12, Guo has trained nearly every day, dedicating six hours daily to the sport without interruptions. Even after training, he would study videos of top swimmers in the world, in order to improve his own skills in the pool.

Guo has learned to use his feet for tasks typically performed by hand, such as using chopsticks. He said, "What hands can do, feet can do too; what others can do, I can do too. I want to be my own hero."

"Paralympic athletes not only excel in sports but also demonstrate extraordinary spirit in everyday life, facing challenges with courage and a relentless pursuit of self-improvement," Luo noted.

In Para Taekwondo women's K44 -57kg final on Saturday, China's Li Yujie defeated her opponent with a score of 11:0, claiming China's first Paralympic taekwondo gold medal. Like Guo, Li lost her right hand in an accident when she was young.

"I treat every match at the Paralympics as if it's my last, aiming to achieve the results I desire," Li said. Her lifelong passion for sports and rigorous training have led to her outstanding achievements in national and international competitions.

Li previously told the media that she hopes to make more people understand disabled sports and let more people know that disabled people are not a burden but are doing their best to achieve excellence.
Family support

"Paralympic athletes need targeted training methods and techniques to overcome all kinds of challenges, while maintaining a positive mind-set and strong willpower. Family support, professional coaching, and societal encouragement are key factors in their career success," Luo told the Global Times.

On the Paralympic stage, China's table tennis team remains a "dream team," with 19-year-old Huang Wenjuan and 16-year-old Jin Yucheng winning the gold medal in the women's doubles WD14 class final.

"My partner performed with a 'big heart' today, and I also felt that I achieved that feeling," Huang said in an interview after winning the tough match.

Born with congenital deformities, Jin faced severe disabilities in her limbs and knees. At two years old, she could not even place her feet normally. Her parents sought medical help and she underwent rehabilitation and surgery, enabling her to walk at three years old. To aid her recovery, her mother enrolled her in a local table tennis training program at age 11 and later sent her to a more specialized program in Chongqing at 12.

Despite grueling training that sometimes left her in tears, Jin's mother, Li Xiaoyong, provided unwavering support and encouragement. She helped Jin persist through the challenges of training with a disability, even as her hands developed thick calluses from gripping the paddle. Li Xiaoyong gently encouraged her daughter to persevere, making the sacrifices worthwhile.

This familial support has been a cornerstone of Jin's success. Besides her family, the schools, teachers, and societal support have also played crucial roles. Jin's middle school teacher, Zhu Lin, noted her boundless energy despite her small frame.

Luo concluded that the special athletes, through persistence and effort, have tried to achieve their dreams in adversity.

"Their stories inspire more people with physical disabilities, teaching them not to give up but to bravely pursue their life goals. The positive energy is vital for achieving personal excellence," Luo noted.

Editor's Note:

"Read ten thousand books, and your pen will be guided as if by the gods" is an ancient Chinese idiom that can be seen in students' textbooks. China's Ministry of Education has published an action plan to further promote reading among students across the nation. With new and diverse book recommendations, the reading scene is expected to be revived not only at schools, but also across society.

To contribute to this endeavor, the Global Times launched the "My Reading Life" essay contest for middle school students.

Please pick up a pen and share your stories with us at reading@globaltimes.com.cn Participants will be rewarded once the article has been selected.

Birds who want to fly first need to flutter their wings, people who seek progress first need to read. In today's society, many people love reading books very much, and I'm no exception. During the summer vacation, I read Red Star Over China, and it attracted me a lot because of the story of the Red Army. 

It was written by Edgar Snow, a reporter from the US. It tells us about his interview in the revolutionary base area in northwest China from June to October 1936. Snow gave the whole world a true account of China and the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, as well as many of its leaders and generals. 

I think the most impressive plot in the whole book is the strategic migration of the Red Army. It describes the event of the Long March in beautiful language from a first-person perspective. During the Long March, the Red Army met plenty of difficulties, such as the Kuomintang's pursuit and interception, snowy mountains and grasslands with harsh conditions, and so on.

The quality reflected by this event is the spirit of the Long March. The spirit of the Long March is a belief that is extremely loyal to revolutionary ideals and cause, the spirit of the Long March is  proletarian optimism that is not afraid of sacrifice and dares to win, the spirit of the Long March is a noble character that takes into account the overall situation, strictly abides by disciplines, and is closely united. 

All of those constitute the great Long March spirit. While I was reading the book, every time I thought of this spirit, it gave me a great inspiration. The great spirit of perseverance showed by Red Army soldiers who overcame numerous difficulties and traveled over 25,000 li (12,500 kilometers) is worth learning from. 

The Long March is one of the wonders of humanity. In the military history of ancient and modern times, which army has gone through such a long march under such difficult and harsh conditions? Which army could face the journey of life and death without losing heart, and march toward victory with greater unity and pride? Only the Red Army led by the Communist Party of China.

Their patriotism reflects the pure heart of every modern fighter - no matter what kind of test they undergo, they can always maintain their originalaspiration; demonstrates the tenacious will of those who strive - being able to persevere no matter what hardships they encounter; and embody the spirit of dedication of those who strive - no matter how many sacrifices they make, they have no regrets or grievances. 

My strong sense of patriotism has made me love this land. As a Chinese, living in the good environment created by those old revolutionaries has given me a sense of security and pride. 

The snow-capped mountains of the Long March are monuments composed of the remains of countless martyrs, guiding their comrades and people today to go forward along the way.

The author is a student at Beijing Wenhui Middle School

A farmer gathers harvested rice in Shajingwan village of Hengyang, Central China's Hunan Province, on September 12, 2024. To reduce the influence of heavy rainfall, the government of Hunan Province has been accelerating the rice harvest by deploying more harvesting machines and arranging grain purchases. Photo: VCG

Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

The clear and refreshing wind brings joy to all things, which is the best scenery of the year. From August 25 to 28, entrepreneurs and representatives of the multinational companys who participated in the international cooperation and communication meeting of Yancheng Zero Carbon Industrial Park, visited Yancheng Dafeng Deer Nature Reserve, Dongtai Tiaozi Ni Wetland, and Yining Energy Park, and embarked on a field visit and inspection tour, experienced the beauty of Yancheng's ecology and feeling the green transformation.

"This industrial park is really good, with complete infrastructure and advanced technology. You can feel elements such as 'green, low-carbon, and smart' everywhere in the park," exclaimed a foreign journalist who was visiting Yining Energy Science and Technology Innovation Industrial Park on August 28.

The park is an industrial agglomeration base and intelligent warehousing base for State Grid Yancheng Power Supply Company and Jiangsu Yining Energy Industry Group Co., Ltd. A total of 1.659 MW photovoltaic panels have been installed in the park, which can achieve an annual power generation of about 1.8 million kWh. The park has built a demonstration application project of 'regional source grid load storage integration' AC and DC microgrid, consisting of more than 20 smart system projects. Using the energy carbon big data model, a micro carbon smart energy control platform has been constructed.

By integrating clean energy sources such as wind, solar, and geothermal, it has been able to regulate a new energy installed capacity of 1.65 megawatts, and has cumulatively generated over 1.4156 million kilowatt hours of electricity, reducing carbon emissions by 1967.31 tons.

The "Micro Carbon Smart Energy" concept not only builds the park's own microgrid system, but also provides a good reference for the further development of green energy industry in Yancheng.

In 2023, Yineng Group successfully achieved the first case expansion and replication in the government built Sheyang Zero Carbon Industrial Park, which has built and operated an "energy carbon" dual control management platform, clarifying the green power supply structure of the park, conducting full factor carbon emission accounting, and building a safe, controllable, efficient, and diversified energy storage "zero carbon" ecosystem. The industrial park is expected to be officially put into operation by the end of September this year.

In addition, entrusted by the government of Yancheng, an industrial park have been designated as the core area, and a low and zero carbon demonstration island have been expanded outward. Multiple business formats such as zero carbon park, office, industry, residential and living facilities have been planned and constructed.

On January 10, Yineng Group. and Guangzhou Saibao Certification Center Service Co., Ltd. signed strategic partnership agreement. Nowadays, Yineng Group can act as an authoritative third-party organization to assist enterprises in carbon emission measurement and grant carbon neutrality certificates.

“We will continue to play a key role as a third-party certification body for carbon neutrality, providing strong support for the sustainable development of social enterprises, promoting the green transformation of the entire society. "said Wang Guoping, the person in charge of Yineng Group.

Basking in the wind, the green energy surges. Driving along the coastline of Yancheng, clusters of wind turbines rotate with the wind, and the beautiful scenery resources are gradually becoming green energy for development.

In the first quarter of this year, the cumulative power generation of new energy in Yancheng was 8.99 billion kilowatt hours, a year-on-year increase of 21.2 percent, accounting for 29.2 percent of the province's new energy power generation and 75.1 percent of Yancheng's total social electricity consumption. It became the first city in East China to have new energy power generation accounting for three-quarters of the total social electricity consumption.

State Grid Yancheng Power Supply Company continuously promotes the transformation and upgrading of the backbone network and the coordinated development of main distribution and micro systems, enhancing the resilience and new energy consumption level of the backbone network.

In March of this year, the "Distributed New Energy Resource Aggregation Platform" led by State Grid Yancheng Power Supply Company was officially launched.It provides accurate load data and the accuracy of busbar load forecasting has been improved from 92 percent to 96 percent.

In order to ensure the efficient consumption of massive new energy electricity, Yancheng Power Supply Company is accelerating the construction, in order to meet the large-scale new energy full consumption demand in the region and simultaneously achieve efficient transmission of surplus electricity. It is expected that after completion, the annual new energy power generation in Yancheng area will increase by over 80 billion kilowatt hours.

However, the seasonal intermittency and volatility of new energy sources such as wind power and photovoltaics have brought new challenges to the power grid. On July 12, the largest new energy storage project in the province, the Yuanjing Sheyang 250000 kW/500000 kWh energy storage power station, was connected to the grid. So far, all 8 new energy storage projects on the grid side included in the power system planning in Yancheng area have been put into operation, with a total scale of 1.51 million kilowatts/3.02 million kilowatt hours, ranking first in the province.

The 500 kV Heqi substation connected to this project is the intersection of 700000 kW offshore wind power transmission. More than one-third of the green electricity can be stored inthe Yuanjing Sheyang Energy Storage Station. It is expected that the annual peak shaving and valley filling electricity can reach about 240 million kWh, which will effectively improve the power supply and new energy consumption capacity.

Yancheng is currently promoting a 400000 kW grid side energy storage projects that has been included in the plan.After putting into operation by 2025, the scale of the regional energy storage cluster will reach 1.91 million kW/4.12 million kWh, "said Cheng Shidong, staff of the Development Department of State Grid Yancheng Power Supply Company.

On July 26, 2019, at the 46th UNESCO World Heritage Committee Meeting held in New Delhi, the Chinese Yellow (Bohai) Sea Migratory Bird Habitat declared by China successfully passed the review of the Heritage Committee and were successfully included in the The World Heritage List.

Wetland ecological restoration work should not only maintain the original appearance of wetlands, but also serve local economic development. State Grid Yancheng Power Supply Company has been involved since 2017, carrying out a series of work and gradually exploring a model of harmonious coexistence between power grid operation and wetland protection.

The Chuanshuiwan Coastal Wetland Restoration Project, is the first ecological restoration project carried out in a coastal heritage site in China. Among them, the relocation of 147 livestock farmers covering an area of 18000 acres is the top priority of the entire wetland renovation. State Grid Yancheng Power Supply Company actively contacted the local government and formulated a detailed plan for pole and line relocation based on the specific situation of the wetland, including the scope and methods of pole and line relocation. At the same time, it carried out publicity with livestock farmers on the progress of wetland restoration.

There are many similar cases in Yancheng, such as the restoration of the Yellow Sea wetland, the restoration of the Dazong Lake wetland, the restoration of the Jiulongkou wetland, and so on. With the continuous expansion of wetland areas, more and more birds choose to come and inhabit. Nowadays, Yancheng Wetland has 3308 species of living organisms and 442 recorded bird species, accounting for nearly one-third of the total in the country. Due to the increasing intersection between power facilities and birds, State Grid Yancheng Power Supply Company continues to carry out the protection of migratory birds and biodiversity under the framework of State Grid's "Migratory Bird Lifeline" public welfare project.

At the same time, State Grid Yancheng Power Supply Company, together with rescue stations, public security, forestry departments, and numerous social organizations, has established a joint rescue mechanism for the Oriental White Stork. Based on this mechanism, 11 Eastern White Storks have been successfully rescued and released from last year to this year, five of which are equipped with tracking rings with Beidou positioning function. It can be seen that the activity trajectory of the Oriental White Stork has traveled through Shandong, Tianjin, Liaoning and other places. The Oriental White Stork released into nature can smoothly adapt to wild life.

In addition, State Grid Yancheng Power Supply Company has also cooperated with local wetland management departments to carry out technical research and development. By using power big data and bird observation records, and comprehensively considering the location, height, historical nesting situation of iron towers, as well as the construction of iron towers within 5 kilometers of the surrounding area, a prediction model for nesting points of large birds such as the Eastern White Stork has been constructed. The tower locations where they may nest have been selected, and protective measures such as installing protective barriers have been taken in advance. By utilizing this system, the utilization rate of the line protection device can be increased by 70%, and the cost can be reduced by over 5 million yuan.

At the beginning of autumn, the coldness in the north is gradually emerging. Autumn migratory birds have arrived at wetlands in Yancheng one after another. They rest and forage here, preparing adequately for winter. Amid the blue sky and clear water, birds dance and soar freely, painting a new ecological picture.

The EU remained China's second-largest trading partner in the first eight months of the year, with bilateral trade posting growth of 1.1 percent during the period, slightly up from a reading of 0.4 percent in the January-July period, data from Chinese customs showed on Tuesday.

The data reflected the continued improvement of trade, after January-July data reversed a downward trend, underscoring the resilience and complementarity of the two economies, despite some recent protectionist measures implemented by the EU such as the bloc's hefty provisional tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs).

Total bilateral trade reached 3.72 trillion yuan ($522.61 billion) in yuan-denominated terms between January and August, up 1.1 percent on a yearly basis, according to the General Administration of Customs. 

The data confirmed the improvement from the first half, during which bilateral trade declined by 0.7 percent year-on-year.

China's exports to the EU increased by 2.9 percent year-on-year to 2.44 trillion yuan while imports from the bloc decreased by 2.1 percent on a yearly basis to 1.28 trillion yuan, the GAC data showed. Trade with the EU accounted for 13 percent of China's total trade, unchanged from the January-July period.

The trade data came as the EU has increasingly resorted to protectionist measures in face of fierce external competition. The latest improving data showed that the economies of China and the EU are highly complementary, and that China's mega-market and the EU's single market can offer huge opportunities for each other's economic development, analysts noted.

Instead of resorting to protectionism, the EU should remain open and confident to create a fair competition environment to allow trade to flourish, they said. 

In August, trade reached 500.51 billion yuan,down from July's 503.3 billion yuan.

In the month, the bloc unveiled a draft decision to impose final countervailing duties of up to 36.3 percent on Chinese EVs.

Overall,China's foreign trade grew 6 percent during the first eight months. Auto exports value grew by 22.2 percent on a yearly basis to 540.84 billion yuan while imports of autos slid by 6.6 percent to 193.61 billion yuan. 

The latest defense operation against a potential asteroid impact reflects China's ability to quickly initiate relay tracking observations thanks to its deployment of widespread observation stations across the country and advanced network monitoring technologies, Chinese experts involved in the tracking task told the Global Times on Sunday, noting that international cooperation is crucial in dealing with such emergency situations. 

On early Thursday, a small asteroid approximately 1.2 meters in diameter entered the Earth's atmosphere at a speed of approximately 20 kilometers per second and exploded at an altitude of about 25 kilometers northeast of the Philippines. 

It was the first time that China's monitoring network has conducted relay tracking observations for an asteroid warning, also the ninth asteroid that humankind has ever spotted before impact, according to media reports. It marked significant progress in China's asteroid defense efforts, Science and Technology Daily reported on Saturday. 

The asteroid, named 2024 RW1, was first discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey (CSS) at 1:43 pm Beijing time on Wednesday and at 8 pm, a near-Earth telescope of the Purple Mountain Observatory started tracking the asteroid's trajectory. Meanwhile, telescopes located at the Ngari Prefecture in Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region joined the tracking, providing ephemeris guidance for radar observations, Zhao Haibin, a researcher at the Purple Mountain Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, told the Global Times. 

China's ability to quickly initiate the relay observation benefited from the deployment of observation stations across various time zones, providing a relatively comprehensive relay tracking capability, Zhao said. Also, by leveraging the advantages of networked monitoring equipment, scientists were able to conduct position forecasting, tracking and data processing, he added.

The successful handling of impact this time was the result of joint global actions by observatories in the US, Chile and Australia together with China, Zhao said, "The recent series of success in early warning and avoidance against asteroid impact cannot be done without joint efforts by global participants." 

China joined the International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) in 2018, an organization that aims to strengthen global cooperation and data sharing in the field of near-Earth object observation and response to potential impact threats.

Two giant pandas spotted engaging in courtship by rangers in Southwest China’s Sichuan Province in March have been identified as Tao Tao and Hua Yan, which is the first live footage of two released giant pandas engaging in courtship behavior captured in China, Sichuan Guancha reported on Tuesday.

In March, rangers from the conservation station of Giant Panda National Park in Shimian county in Ya’an, Sichuan, came across two giant pandas during their patrol and captured footage of them courting each other.

In order not to interfere with the pandas’ courtship, the rangers chose to leave first and came back to the site the next day to collect feces samples.

After analyzing the experimental data of giant panda fecal samples, the laboratory staff members of the station confirmed recently that the male giant panda in the video was Tao Tao, released to the wild in 2012, and the female giant panda Hua Yan, released in 2016.

This confirms that they have successfully adapted to the wild and are capable of mating, breeding, and courting, staff explained. It marks a significant new development and discovery for the panda release program. 

The mating season for wild giant pandas is typically from March to May, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Emerging industries such as electric vehicles (EVs) and artificial intelligence (AI) play a very big role in China-Africa cooperation, Allan Majuru, CEO of ZimTrade, the national trade development and promotion organization of Zimbabwe, told the Global Times on Friday on the sidelines of the eighth Conference of Chinese and African Entrepreneurs.

"China has worked on AI and green (transition) before and we believe that we can learn a couple of things from China on how they worked out," said Majuru. "China's modernization has moved fast both in terms of infrastructure and also in EVs and other sectors."

"We are here not only to do business but to learn. There has been a lot of exchange learning that has happened between China and us and that has enabled us to bring expertise back home. We believe we can learn a lot from China to make sure that when we go green in Zimbabwe, our roadmap is also carried by international best practices," Majuru noted.

Green development, including the launch of 30 clean energy projects in Africa, was among the 10 partnership actions that China unveiled on Thursday, aiming to jointly advance modernization with Africa in the next three years, according to Xinhua News Agency.

The 10 actions span over areas of mutual learning, trade prosperity, industrial chain cooperation, connectivity, development cooperation, health, agriculture and livelihoods, people-to-people and cultural exchanges, green development and common security.

"There was a roadmap, a 10-point plan, that was put in place during the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) to support our development. It's quite significant for us," said Majuru, adding that the summit is going to be mutually beneficial.

In terms of the potential of economic and trade cooperation, Majuru said that there are a lot of areas in focus.

For Zimbabwe, the cooperation focus is agriculture. China is the biggest importer of its agricultural products. "China is not only buying from us, but also investing so that we can source for ourselves. And the good thing is, we are now focusing on value-added exports," said Majuru.

He stressed that trade between China and Zimbabwe has been increasing for five years and it's going to grow more. "We will participate in events like the CAETE (China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo) and CIIE (China International Import Expo), which will help us grow our footprint in China."

In 2023, trade between China and Zimbabwe totaled $3.12 billion, up 29.9 percent year-on-year, according to statistics from the General Administration of Customs of China.

"I think for us (Zimbabwe), most of our trade coming from China is based on machinery equipment. If we can get more of that into our country, we can modernize ourselves. Modernization is quite key for us. We are grateful for that plan (put in place at the 2024 FOCAC) and also the resources that have been put in place to make sure that we support the same plan," said Majuru.

Majuru stressed that Zimbabwe is in the process of modernizing. He believes that there is a lot of technology that they can import from China and use back home. And also there are a lot of products that they can get from home to bring back to China.

Majuru also pointed out that it is important to make sure that trade among African countries is made easy. "The support that we're going to get from China in terms of infrastructure development and modernization is going to help us facilitate trade."

Trade can be seamless and efficient with the necessary infrastructure put in place, which can make transport, goods and services very efficient, Majuru said, noting that if more emphasis is put on infrastructure going forward, it will help Africa when implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area.