African ambassadors to China hailed the deepening China-Africa partnership, calling China a vital partner in Africa's modernization journey and a friend that offers reciprocal development opportunities.
During the Africa Day, celebrated on Friday in Beijing, China Global Television Network (CGTN) interviewed four African ambassadors, who shared their hopes for further strengthening cooperation with China.
Rahmat Allah Mohamed Osman, Permanent Representative of the African Union to China, highlighted China's diplomatic efforts to foster bilateral communication and elevate Africa's position in the international community, particularly pointing to the unique opportunities provided by the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).
"I think the FOCAC as a mechanism by itself will give us an opportunity to discuss a lot of things together with China, unlike our partnership with others -- we have partnerships with other countries. But this type of mechanism is not available [in our partnership with others], because it gives us a chance to meet regularly at different levels, even at the strongest level, in order to discuss our concerns and to agree on the issues. And we would like here to take this opportunity to thank China for supporting the African Union position, at least when it is one of the countries, the fairest country, which asked for the inclusion of the African Union into the G20," said Osman.
Martin Mpana, Ambassador of the Republic of Cameroon to China and Dean of the African Diplomatic Corps in China, highlighted that China's path to modernization serves as a model for other developing nations, including those in Africa.
"China's modernization is a result, of course, of people's decisions, people's commitment, very good leadership, and vision from the leaders. The Communist Party of China is doing a lot. Because their policies are people-centered policies. In Africa we can do the same though we don't have the same political systems," said Martin.
Hodan Osman Abdi, Ambassador of Somalia to China, emphasized that economic development is a key driver of modernization, and that China has been setting the stage for win-win cooperation, offering African businesses real opportunities in its vast domestic market.
"Modernization is about making people's lives better, not just counting up GDP. Now one excellent driver of modernization is economic development and China has been setting the stage for a win-win cooperation where economic development is mutually reinforced. China is setting up opportunities for African enterprises and African companies and African products to find their markets here in China," she said.
Additionally, China has played a pivotal role in infrastructure development, agricultural progress, and other sectors of African countries, which has laid a strong foundation for their independent and sustainable development. With all the solid cooperation projects and action plans, China and Africa have been dedicated partners amid global economic turbulence.
"I mentioned earlier that Congo is a co-chair of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. The forum's conclusions have been important. We have the Beijing Action Plan and the ten actions for cooperation. I believe these are a number of projects to consolidate and strengthen cooperation between China and Africa at a time when we are experiencing turbulence in the global economic and trade sector," said Jacques Jean Luc Nyanga, Ambassador of the Republic of Congo to China.
Ambassadors expect further cooperation with China at Africa Day celebrations
The Shenzhen Science and Technology Museum in south China's Guangdong Province has received over four million visitors since opening on May 1 last year.
In addition to gaining astounding popularity, the museum has been selected as one of the "World's Most Beautiful Museums" by UNESCO.
One morning during the first anniversary period of its opening, the museum was already packed with student groups and family visitors as early as 10:00.
To the delight of the hundreds of children attending on that day, the museum is filled with highly interactive exhibits that are as fun as they are educational. In the AI ping-pong robot zone, visitors play matches against a robot, which adjusts its difficulty level in real time according to human opponent's skill, precisely matching ball speed and strength.
"I tried seven or eight exhibits. My favorite is the ping-pong. The experience showed me how powerful science can be, and the ping-pong robot made me realize that machines can be so amazing," said Mo Jiquan, a young student from Guangdong's Zhongshan City.
In the "Smart Industry" hall, a group of students from Singapore learned to race model cars controlled by brainwaves.
By pressing foreheads against an electroencephalogram (EEG) signal collection device and concentrating, the students used the power of their minds to propel the cars forward.
"Science fiction has become reality. These things are different from what we learn at school. For example, these brainwave-control devices, we have never seen anything like them. So I think it's a new and very meaningful experience," said Chen Mengfanglin, a student from Singapore.
Among the museum's 950 innovative exhibits, such as brain-computer interfaces, simulated space capsules, dexterous hands, 80 percent offer deep interactive experiences.
More importantly, these exhibits are dynamically updated as industrial technologies evolve.
"I think this place is very futuristic and fun. This is my second time here. I feel that there are more exhibits, and the technology has advanced," said Wu Zining, a Shenzhen student.
According to the museum, visitor numbers remain steady on weekdays, surge significantly during holidays, and overseas visitors have seen a notable increase since the beginning of this year.
"Our museum receives between 2,000 and 5,000 visitors on weekdays. On holidays, we get around 30,000 visitors per day. Since the beginning of this year, the number of overseas visitors has also risen significantly," Zhang Haitian, director of the Exchange and Cooperation Center of the museum.
Unlike traditional science museums that simply display items alongside written explanations, the Shenzhen Science and Technology Museum has pioneered an approach that combines innovation, public outreach, and education into one seamless experience.
Over the past year, it has collected 39 technology transfer projects, held 10 "deep science and technology" project matchmaking events, and brought research institutes, leading enterprises, investors, and the public together, creating a new ecosystem linking government, enterprises, research institutes, and the museum.
"On the basis of the original basic functions of a science and technology museum, we have taken a bolder step forward. We have extensive links with sci-tech innovation companies, so a steady stream of new technologies, achievements, products and ideas flow into the museum. We also have close interactions with science fiction and cultural heritage sectors, integrating science and technology with culture and art. Through flexible cooperation with various industries, this approach has opened up unlimited possibilities for the entire science and technology museum," said Zheng Yongchun, head of the museum.
Interactive sci-tech museum in south China hosts 4 million visitors in first year
