At the invitation of Suez Canal University, a delegation of China-Africa Institute (CAI), led by Vice President Zhou Yunfan, visited Egypt for academic exchange from February 24 to 27, 2025.

Participants at the 22^nd China Lecture

 Group photo

The 22^nd China Lecture, jointly organized by the CAI and Suez Canal University, was successfully held under the theme of "Deepen China-Africa Cooperation to Spearhead the Global South Modernization" at Suez Canal University in Ismailia on February 26. The lecture was chaired by Hassan Ragab, Director of the Confucius Institute at the Suez Canal University. Six scholars from China and Egypt delivered speeches at the lecture, with more than 200 faculty members and students attending.

 Speakers at the lecture (left: Nasser Mandour; right: Zhou Yunfan)

Professor Nasser Mandour, President of Suez Canal University, delivered a speech. He pointed out that as two ancient civilizations, Egypt and China share profound cultural values, providing a solid foundation for mutual learning between civilizations. Suez Canal University has long maintained friendly cooperation with China, it hopes to deepen its understanding of China, and to further strengthen bilateral collaboration with the CAI through this lecture. Zhou Yunfan highlighted that modernization represents a legitimate aspiration and shared cause for developing countries, including China and African nations. In this pursuit, think tanks and universities are uniquely positioned to leverage their expertise. She expected that the two sides could promote exchanges and mutual learning between their academic communities so as to provide intellectual support to Global South Modernization.

Speakers at the lecture (1^st row from left to tight: Cai Yuezhou, Tang Zhichao, Qi Qiangfei; 2^nd row from left to right: Ali El-Hefny, Diaa Helmy, Hassan Ragab)

Professor Cai Yuezhou from the Institute of Quantitative & Technological Economics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) delivered a speech. He outlined China's achievements in digital economy development and the characteristics of Egypt's digital transformation, and elaborated on the opportunities and prospects of China-Africa digital cooperation. Drawing on the features and achievements of China-Egypt friendly cooperation, Tang Zhichao, Director of the Division of Political Studies, outlined the theoretical and practical imperatives of advancing the all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future, based on their comprehensive strategic partnership. With a focus on the parallels between Chinese and Egyptian civilizations, Dr. Qi Qiangfei from the Division of Ethnic and Religious Studies, explored pathways for the two sides to strengthen academic exchanges in the study of philosophy. 

Ali El-Hefny, former Egyptian Ambassador to China and Vice-Chairman of the Cairo-based Egypt-China Friendship Association, examined the historical evolution of Egypt-China friendly relations. He pointed out that China has always been a trustworthy partner for Egypt and for Africa, noting that Egypt-China relations are in a golden era with increasing economic and trade cooperation, and the two sides should inject more momentum into the bilateral ties. Diaa Helmy, Scretary-General of the Egyptian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, said that the notion of "Rich North" and "Poor South" no longer holds ground in today's world. He noted that developing countries must establish a new model of South-South cooperation to achieve mutual benefits. Hassan Ragab highlighted that Egypt and China both enjoy rich history of civilization and major achievements in development, providing strong impetus for the implementation of Global Civilization Initiative (GCI).

The event was covered by China’s Xinhua News Agency and local Egyptian media outlets. Prior to the lecture, the delegation held discussions with Professor Nasser Mandour and other members of the faculty on strengthening academic exchange and cooperation.

Group photo at Egyptian Alumni Association in China

In Cairo, the delegation co-hosted a seminar with Egyptian Alumni Association in China under the theme "China-Africa Cooperation in the context of China-Arab Relations". Professor Nasser Abdel-Aal, President of the association, made an introduction of Egyptian Alumni Association in China. The seminar was attended by former Egyptian ambassadors to China, media specialists and university professors, covering topics such as China-Egypt partnership, opportunities and prospects for economic and trade cooperation, complementarity in China-Egyptian economic development capabilities and endowments, peace and security governance in Africa, and people-to-people exchanges between China and Africa.

Delegation is having meeting with experts at ACPSS

The delegation also visited the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies (ACPSS), and held a meeting with Dr. Ayman El-Sayed Abdel Wahab, Deputy Director of the center. The experts engaged in discussions on South-South cooperation, global governance, China's role in regional countries, the security situation in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel region, and the application of artificial intelligence. Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in academic exchanges, joint research, publication of research findings and other areas.

Furthermore, the delegation met with Abdel Badia, Director of the Egyptian, Greek and Roman Antiquities Sector, Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, and discussed strengthening people-to-people exchange between China and Egypt. The delegation also visited the Chinese Embassy in Egypt, and met with Ambassador Liao Liqiang.