At Global South Media Forum in South Africa: Experts review China-Africa ties, set fresh cooperation strategies.

The conference held from Thursday 13 to Friday 14 November, 2025. It was jointly organised by Xinhua News Agency and the African Union, AU. The international event grouped over 200 representatives from 160 media organs, 41 African Union, member States, think tanks and government organisations.

Key panelists at the event were; the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to South Africa, Wu Peng; Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Dada Morero; Consul General of China in Johannesburg, Quingjiang, the Chairman of Independent Media and Co-chair of the BRICS Media Forum, Dr Iqbal Survé and the Editor-in-Chief of Xinhua News Agency,  Lyu Yansong. 

Discussions were under the theme: "Reforming Global Governance: New Roles and Visions for China-Africa Cooperation”. 

It touched on topics such as: "China-Africa Commitments to Global Governance Reform", "China-Africa Action for Global South Revitalization", and "China-Africa Exchange in Global Civilisational Coexistence".

Other activities at the two-day conference were; cultural exchanges between China's Hunan Province and its African partners.

China-Africa ties key to global modernisation

Speaking at the conference, China’s chief diplomat to South Africa, Wu Peng, said there can be no real modernisation in the world without strong China-Africa ties.

Peng said the populations of Africa and China make up one third of the world’s population with a shared history of “anti-colonialism and ant-hegemony as well as a common mission of development and revitalisation”. 

He added that while Africa is the continent with the highest number of developing nations, China is the world’s number one developing nation.

The diplomat underscored that the Global South has become a pillar of world peace, boosting global governance and world development. He described China and Africa as “natural members and backbone of the Global South”. 

In today’s world, Peng stated that the Global South is responsible for 40 percent of the economy and drives over 80 percent of the world’s economic growth.

On where relations between Africa and China stand, Peng evoked the last Forum on China Africa Cooperation, FOCAC, staged in Beijing as having taken things to a “strategic” level.

“The overall characterisation of China-Africa relations has been elevated to an all-weather China Africa community with a shared future for the new era,” Peng underscored.

He noted that the entente between China and Africa, “is now at its best in history”. FOCAC, he added, has in its 25 years of existence, trade between Africa and China has grown by 27-fold and China’s investment has increased over 80 times.

‘China to remain Africa’s most sincere friend’

Given the uncertainty of global dynamics, Peng told the hundreds of delegates at the high-level conference that China is more than committed to remain Africa’s “most sincere friend”.

He affirmed that: “No matter how the international situation changes, and no matter how far China develops, we will remain Africa’s most sincere friend and most reliable partner”.

The continent ant the Asian nation, the diplomat asserted, will in line with the Global Development Initiative, “jointly implement the Belt and Road Initiative”. He intimated that the scheme fits into AU’s agenda 2063 alongside the development priorities of African nations.

China as major driver of Africa’s dev’t

The Chinese Ambassador to South Africa re-echoed his country’s investments in different sectors to power Africa’s development. 

He disclosed that his country has constructed and upgraded annually 100,000 kilometers of African highways and 10,000 kilometers of rail line.

He further disclosed that in the last three years, Chinese companies have provided jobs to 1.1 million Africans. Ambassador Peng stated that President Xi Jinping of China in June this year announced his country’s readiness to zero tariff treatment on 100 percent of tariff lines for 53 African counties with ties to the Asian giant.

In a world wherein some countries are adopting unilateralism and protectionism, Peng said the decision of the Chinese President shows the mutually beneficial nature of China-Africa cooperation.

Given the rising global risks, Peng who once headed China’s diplomacy in Kenya restated that: “Under these circumstances, China is ready to work with African countries to implement the outcomes of the FOCAC Beijing Summit, further expand win-win cooperation across all fields, and accelerate the common mondernisation of China and Africa”.

AU drums honest dialogue, shared knowledge 

African Union through its Director of Information and Communication, Leslie Richer, used the South African conference to reiterate the need for honest dialogue and shared knowledge in reviving solidarity in the Global South.

Noting that the world is experience “deep change”, the AU official noted that the emergence of new hubs of economic activities and increasing quest for resource control, dignified development and fair representation makes the session profound.

She shared the view that,  the “global order is in transition with centres of economic activity emerging across the Global South and demands for fair representation, control over resources, dignity in development, and for global governance that reflects the realities of the 21st century growing stronger. Africa’s voice is central in this effort”.

In decades past, Richer said China-Africa ties have experienced profound mutations anchored on, “solidarity, mutual respect, and shared aspirations for development”. 

She added that under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation FOCAC, “we have built frameworks for trade, infrastructure, technology, public health, education, and cultural exchange”.

Beyond the pragmatism expressed in the partnerships, Richer noted that the deals reached between Africa and China, “…have contributed to expanding opportunities for our citizens and strengthened Africa’s capacity to mobilise financing for development at a time when global systems often deny us affordable capital."

She underscored that Africa-China ties have resulted in expanded opportunities in trade, infrastructure, education, and cultural exchange, but stated that cooperation must evolve beyond projects and investment to address the global systems that limit fair development.

The AU Communication head reminded hundreds of participants in attendance that: “We are now entering a phase that requires us to align our partnership with the broader project of reforming global governance. The question is not only how we build infrastructure, but how we help reshape the rules and institutions that govern the world”.

Need for African seat on UN Security Council

Another deeper issue Richer raised was the need to reform the United Nations, UN Security Council to ensure Africa has a spot. She reminded all that, Africa remains the only region without a permanent seat, lamenting that the situation hasn’t change despite representing a third of UN member states.

The official argued that: “China and Africa, together with partners across the Global South, must insist on a multilateral system that respects the equality of regions, races, and nations”.

Further touching on other development issues, Richer expressed disappointment in the current architecture of global financial institutions. Such institutions, she said, are operating within frameworks that are unfavourable to developing nations.

With the current look of global financial institutions, Richer said: “Africa cannot achieve its renewable energy transition, its infrastructure agenda, or its digital transformation while borrowing at interest rates up to eight times higher than those paid by wealthier countries. This is neither rational nor just”.

Going by her, strides with African representation at certain global levels such as having a permanent membership in the G20 was commendable but comes with the call for serious work.

She averred that: “Representation is not an end in itself. It carries the responsibility to shape the agenda, articulate shared priorities, and convene the Global South around issues that unite us”.

In the meantime, the AU delegate at the conference said there should be attention on human capital and technology transfer to consciously position Africa within the current digital shifts the world is experiencing.

She thundered that: “Africa must not remain a passive consumer in this new technological era. We must be co-creators, innovators, and owners of the knowledge and systems that will define the future”.

Need for Global South to tell its stories 

While situating the importance of cultural cooperation, Richer sounded to the hearing of delegates that, the Global South must take over the telling of its stories. This, she said, is vital to end the domination of the West and its angles of how stories of the Global South are told. 

“Too often, the narratives that circulate about our countries are shaped elsewhere. The Global South must be partners not only in trade, infrastructure, and diplomacy, but also in storytelling. Shared knowledge reduces stereotypes, and honest dialogue strengthens solidarity,” Richer stated.

Future of global governance 

On where global governance is headed, Richer said its future can only be shaped through proactive positioning. The desired changes, Richer said won’t see the light by chance but through conscious collective efforts for a fairer world.

To her “we must aspire to a world that is inclusive, equitable, and peaceful, where development is a right, not a privilege. The reforms we seek for The Africa We Want are not ours alone. They are for a world where every region and every people has the right to define its future with dignity”.

Partnering with China for shared prosperity

The Executive Mayor of Johannesburg, Dada Morero, told guests that Africa must continue to negotiate its future through partnering with China for shared prosperity.  He added that, the city where he is municipal authority will continue to partner with China through its municipal institutions, and thought leaders.

Johannesburg, he told delegates, plays a unique role in deepening partnership between South Africa and China. Still on the South African experience, he said relations between the two countries are evolving and impactful.  Johannesburg, he said, has reached milestones in partnerships with some Chinese cities and institutions.

South Africa-China ties, Morero said, have gone beyond just governmental. He emphasized that: “It is economic, social, cultural, and people-to-people. In this moment of rapid global change, the Global South cooperation has become more crucial than ever”.

He drummed stronger South Africa-Chinese media, universities, and policy institutions cooperation. This, Morero said, will help develop the intellectual and cultural foundations of cooperation.

Johannesburg, he went on, continues to plays a unique role in deepening the partnership as the economic powerhouse with a vibrant Chinese community and dynamic Chinese businesses. The vitality, he said, has resulted in burgeoning cultural ties that are catalyzing growth in all service sectors.

“Cities like Johannesburg are not just the sites of development; they are engines of transformation, global connectors, and platforms where real partnerships take shape. Through formations such as the BRICS and the G20, China and South Africa continue to demonstrate the power of solidarity, the power of solidarity among developing nations,” he stated.

Morero said his city views China not only as a strategic partner but as a fellow traveller in the ongoing journey of building an inclusive, equitable, and sustainable world. One of the most productive partnerships of the Global South in the last three decades, the Executive Mayor said, is that between South Africa and China.

He detailed that: “Our collaboration is rooted in shared histories, histories of solidarity, common aspirations for development and a commitment to shaping a more balanced, just and multi-product world order”.

Morero brought to the attention of delegates at the confab, China's experience in modern housing, digital innovation, large-scale smart city development, green transport and infrastructure. 

The knowhow, he said, offers valuable insights for cities like Johannesburg and others in developing countries dealing with challenges of rapid population growth, climate change, inequality and other hurdles that come with urbanisation.

The Executive Mayor said: “We see enormous potential for expanding cooperation in water security, clean energy transitions, urban safety, and industrial upgrade”. 

Beyond shared prosperity, he said China-Africa ties must produce more results in technology exchange, infrastructure cooperation, and urban resilience.

Need for new partnership to define Global South

Dr Iqbal Surve, chairman of INDEPENDENT Media, co-host of the conference said through working as a team, the Global South can ensure that its identity and stories is not defined by others.

“Forums like this where media, scholars and thought leaders from across the globe come together are critical. They allow us to exchange ideas, deepen understanding and forge new pathways toward common progress,” Dr Iqbal stated.

Strides of China-Africa ties, he averred, serve as “beacon of what genuine cooperation can achieve,” insisting that: “It is this spirit of partnership that must guide our collective efforts in reforming global governance to reflect our collective efforts in reforming global governance to reflect a more equitable and representative system”.

China-Africa cooperation, he went on, wears mutual respect, shared goals and attachment to building a fairer and more inclusive global order. The South Africa gathering, he insisted, must be exploited to enhance gains already made.

“Let us move forward together, confident in the knowledge that the future of the world is not decided elsewhere, but here, among us, the nations, thinkers and storytellers of the Global South,” Dr Iqbal stated. 

Going far together 

On his part, the Editor-In-Chief of Xinhua News Agency, Lyu Yansong, said the conference was a window to build consensus.

Yansong inferred from an African proverb which says "If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together” to reiterate the importance of China-Africa cooperation.

He called for stronger collaboration to create a common future. In his speech as discussions advanced, Yansong said China remains open to work with Africa.

Some key outcome of Conference 

One of the milestones of the conference was the release of a think tank report titled "Jointly Building a New Model of Global Leadership- Work together in Pursuit of a More Just and Rational Global Governance System”.

There was also the launch of the Global South Joint Communication Partnership Network named: "United in Heart, Path and Action- 2026 China-Africa Partnership Empowerment Action Plan."

The blueprints, officials said, target an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era where the Global South a is a stabilising force for maintaining peace, open development and key player in global governance and mutual knowledge acquisition and sharing among.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3629 of Wednesday November 19, 2025