Forum attendees witness deepening Sino-African ties

Nasri Malissa, the top starter for the Algerian national women's table tennis team, expressed her joy about returning to China, the place where her dreams took deeper root.

Malissa, 22, still has vivid memories of the moment when, at the age of 15, she had the opportunity to train and interact with her idol, former Chinese Olympic and world champion Zhang Yining, during a training camp in China in 2016.

On Thursday, Malissa once again received coaching from the table tennis legend when she participated in a table tennis practice alongside other Algerian athletes at a parallel event of the seventh China-Africa People's Forum and the seventh China-Africa Young Leaders Forum in Changsha, Hunan province.

"I began to play table tennis when I was a little kid. But I love it more after the training in China. Through this experience, I also have a deep understanding of Chinese friends' goodness — hard work, generosity, openness and integrity, all crucial for my personal growth," she said.

Together with the Algerian table tennis player, more than 200 parliamentarians, experts, academics and young leaders from over 50 African countries were brought together at Thursday's forum to discuss and shape the China-Africa cooperative partnership, particularly the contribution from young people.

Michel Sidibe, former undersecretary-general of the United Nations, said that through people-to-people exchanges, young people can help bring the two sides to a future in which cooperation, understanding and shared growth are the cornerstones of China-Africa relations.

"As President Xi Jinping has always said, building a community with a shared future for mankind is a vision that unites us in a common cause. This vision is evident in our ongoing efforts and future plans to enhance Sino-African relations," Sidibe said.

The former UN official said educational exchange is an important pillar of China-Africa cooperation that has benefited countless students and educators.

As one of the forum's outcome documents, a plan was released with the aim of promoting China-Africa people-to-people connectivity from 2024-26 through youth camps, a free lunch project and other projects.

In a speech given at the forum, Li Hongzhong, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, stressed the need to step up exchanges between China and Africa in areas such as culture, tourism and youth, and explore new opportunities for cooperation.

Dayo Israel, the national youth leader of the All Progressives Congress party in Nigeria, underscored the aspirations of young African political leaders like himself who seek to elevate discussions on China-Africa relations beyond infrastructure development to encompass human capital growth.

The gathering served as testament to China's commitment to nurturing the next generation of African leaders, providing them with the necessary support and platforms to realize their visions for a prosperous Africa, he said.

Mohamed Sabbari, a member of the National Council of the Authenticity and Modernity Party and first deputy speaker of the House of Representatives of Morocco, commended the robust cooperation between China and Morocco, which has empowered young Moroccans to actively participate in the nation's development through scholarships and exchange programs.

Gelase Daniel Ndabirabe, the speaker of the National Assembly of Burundi, highlighted the enduring friendship between China and Africa, which is rooted in shared struggles for independence and liberation.

African countries are keenly aware that China is sharing with them its experience and reflections in the path toward modernization and rejuvenation, because that is what China has always done, he said.

Malissa, the Algerian athlete who is also coaching young players between the ages of 6 and 10 in her home country, said she is especially looking forward to visiting China again and playing with professional coaches and players, in order to improve herself.

That way, she said, "I can better promote table tennis in Algeria so that all the young players will have the opportunity to compete in the Olympic Games in the future".