By Héribert-Label Élisée ADJOVI from Xi’an
“Chinese-style modernization and African development” is the theme of a week-long seminar involving fifty African experts in Shaanxi. Special focus is placed on agricultural mechanization—an area in which this northwestern Chinese province excels both nationally and globally.
The seminar, which began on Thursday, July 17, 2025, aims to implement the “Six Major Initiatives” and the “Ten Strategic Partnership Actions” within the framework of building a China-Africa community with a shared future. It is hosted by the African Affairs Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and organized by the Foreign Affairs Office of the Shaanxi Provincial Government. Attendees include senior public officials, university professors, research institute leaders, and China-Africa specialists from fifty African countries.
At the official opening ceremony on Friday, July 18, 2025, HUE Bing, Special Envoy of the Chinese Foreign Ministry for the Horn of Africa, highlighted the 9th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in Beijing in September 2024, and the follow-up ministerial meeting in June 2025 in Changsha, Hunan Province. These two major events played a pivotal role in enhancing China-Africa solidarity and reaffirming the goal of a shared future for humanity—particularly for the Global South.
Yangling, the pilot region and launch point of the Silk Road and cradle of China’s modern agricultural development, is aptly chosen to host this seminar promoting Sino-African cooperation in modern agriculture. The region’s strategic significance was emphasized by several speakers: HE Ling from the Yangling Agricultural Demonstration Zone, GAO Jinxiao, Deputy Director of Shaanxi’s Foreign Affairs Office, and Mustapha SAHEED, Senior Lecturer at the University of Abuja. They applauded China’s support for Africa’s path toward agricultural mechanization, including President Xi Jinping’s initiative to establish joint agricultural demonstration centers. Yangling’s center has delivered over 160 training sessions covering 20 topics for more than 2,000 participants.
Yangling also features a free trade zone and hosts a globally renowned annual agricultural fair—attracting over 30,000 agribusinesses and more than 70 countries and international organizations—earning its nickname “The Olympics of Agriculture.”
During the afternoon, two lectures were held: one on the seminar’s theme by Mr. XUE, and another on China’s achievements in modern agricultural development by Professor Hongmei WANG from the Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University of Shaanxi. Moving from theory to practice, participants visited the demonstration zone exhibition hall and the Yangling Smart Agriculture Demonstration Park.
On the morning of Saturday, July 19, 2025, attendees participated in a session on “Modern Agricultural Scientific and Technological Innovation and Food Security,” led by Professor FENG Yongzhong, followed by a guided visit to Yangling’s Kiwi International Innovation and Entrepreneurship Park. The day concluded with a bus journey to Xi’an—China’s ancient capital—for another lecture on “Shaanxi’s Practice of Chinese-Style Modernization” by Professor LI Lu, Director of the Chinese Socialism Theory Research Center at Shaanxi’s Administrative Institute.
All in all, the fifty African experts have had two highly productive days in Shaanxi, setting a promising tone for Sino-African agricultural cooperation as the seminar continues until Thursday.