A ceremony is held for the delivery of Chinese electric buses in Ethiopia in 2025. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Around 100 scholars gathered on Oct 31 at Fujian Jiangxia University in Fuzhou, Fujian province, for a seminar on China-Africa diplomatic relations and South-South cooperation. The seminar coincides with the 70th anniversary of China-Africa diplomatic ties and this year's China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges.

Wei Yuanzhu, Party secretary of the university, said in an address that decades of relations have built a model for South-South cooperation, and that the seminar would contribute to the study of the historical, theoretical, and practical dimensions of African development, while advancing research on African history and regional studies in China.

Mu Tao, president of the Chinese Society of African Historical Studies, said that educational cooperation among countries of the Global South is rooted in equality, mutual trust, capacity building, and the pursuit of shared values. Vocational education cooperation between China and Africa meets Africa's practical needs and aligns with the cooperative spirit of the Global South, according to Mu, who pointed to the language and vocational skills training provided through Confucius Institutes and Luban Workshops.

These vocational training programs have helped raise local household incomes and supported local green growth, he added.

Yang Baorong, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that China does not export a development template but respects Africa's independent choices.

China has helped Africa upgrade infrastructure, establish trade and financial mechanisms, build regional logistics corridors, and develop industrial capacity, Yang added. "This approach has helped the continent find its own path toward independent and sustainable modernization," he said.