On the morning of July 2, 2019, the delegation of African English-speaking countries to China visited Rural Development Institute (RDI), Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), and had the exchange with Chinese scholars on the issue of China’s agriculture development and China-Africa agriculture cooperation.  Wei Houkai, Director of RDI, CASS, and Li Xinfeng, Executive Vice-President of the China-Africa Institute and General-Director of the Institute of West-Asian and African Studies (IWAAS), CASS, presented the symposium and made speeches.

　　Wei Houkai welcomed the arrival of the delegation and introduced the founding history and the research features of RDI, CASS.  He pointed out that the interaction between China and Africa is getting closer and closer and the focus of RDI’s research will be the agriculture cooperation between China and other countries.  And the RDI will work hard with Africa on rural and agricultural development issues and jointly make progress in China-Africa rural and agricultural research.

　　Li Xinfeng said that the visit of African experts and scholars aimed to promote exchanges and cooperation between think tanks and scholars in China and Africa and deepening mutual learning of Chinese and African civilizations.  African scholars generally pay attention to the "Three Rural Issues" in their own countries and are very interested in China's rural reform and poverty alleviation experience. China-Africa Institute will soon issue a joint research project between China and Africa and it is hoped that Chinese and African scholars will apply for related research projects together and conduct in-depth research to provide intellectual support for China-Africa agriculture development.

　　Professor Jairos Kangira, Head of the delegation and President of School of Humanities and Society of University of Namibia, introduced the agricultural development situation in Western, Southern and Eastern Africa and pointed out that the rural development is one of the research focuses for African countries, which is the work that African governments attach great importance to and hope to do well.  He also said that African countries will be committed to cooperating with China in agricultural and rural development and effectively promote the coordinated development of agricultural and rural undertakings in African countries.

　　More than 20 people, including Cui Hongzhi, Director of Division of Rural Organization and Institution Studies of RDI, Tan Wenxue, Director of Division of Poverty and Welfare Studies of RDI, Liu Changquan, Director of Division of Rural Industrial Economy Studies of RDI, Hu Bingchuan, Deputy Director of Division of Agricultural Products Market and Trade Studies of RDI, participated in the meeting and conducted in-depth exchanges on how to promote advanced agricultural production technologies in Africa, promote agricultural mechanization in Africa, strengthen the agricultural research of both sides, train talents for agricultural development, and improve the current situation of agricultural poverty alleviation.

　　Experts and scholars at the meeting said that in order to promote agricultural exchanges between the two sides, the Center for Agricultural Cooperation should refine cooperation projects in agriculture between China and Africa, improve the agricultural knowledge extension system, and comprehensively promote the communication and connectivity of knowledge and technology in the field of agriculture.  The delegation to China is a good start to promote the exchange between Chinese and African scholars.  In the future exchanges and interactions, the two sides should strengthen all-round and in-depth cooperation, such as strengthening cooperation and exchanges in research on poverty alleviation of China-Africa agriculture development.  While implementing the government's guidance, the two sides should build concrete cooperation among people, promote mutual trust and connectivity at the non-governmental level, and effectively implement and extend China-Africa agriculture cooperation and research to all levels.

　　That afternoon, the delegation of scholars from African English-speaking countries to China came to Communication University of China for the academic exchange and visited the University History Museum and Media Museum.  Zhang Yanqiu, Director of African Communication Research Center of Institute of Communication Studies of Communication University of China, introduced the development course and purpose of China’s media.

　　After visiting the museum, Zhang Yanqiu gave a lecture entitled “China-Africa Media Exchange and Cooperation”.  She said that the media of China and Africa have begun to cooperate in many ways.  By setting up branches and news exchange centers of China’s media in Africa, supporting the training of journalists and timely conducting academic seminars on the frontiers of media industry development, China-Africa media cooperation has been deepened and the media capacity-building in China and Africa has been enhanced.  And the two sides have improved our coverage of international and domestic issues and made people better aware of what is happening at home and abroad on the basis of problem-solving orientation, service reference and balanced reporting.