Ethiopia hosts China-Africa agro sci-tech innovation alliance assembly

Chinese and African experts gathered on Monday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, for the 2025 General Assembly of the China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance (CAASTIA), focusing on cooperation for Africa's food security and agricultural modernization.

Co-sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, African Academy of Sciences, and the Mission of China to the AU, the three-day event gathered over 200 scientists, policymakers, and representatives from agricultural institutions across China and Africa.

This event is an implementation of President Xi Jinping's proposal to "establish a China-Africa agricultural science and technology innovation alliance" in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

The assembly in Addis Ababa reviewed and adopted the alliance's charter and released a three-year action plan to pragmatically advance China-Africa agricultural innovation cooperation. This has laid a solid foundation for sci-tech resource sharing between China and Africa, breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields and the cultivation of local sci-tech professionals in the agricultural sector.

Participants spoke highly of the significance of the alliance, sharing optimism for the prospects of China-Africa agricultural cooperation.

"This alliance (is) focusing on science and technology innovation. And the MoUs that have been signed with institutions -- African and Chinese institutions -- to jointly implement projects will deliver on this. These are historic," said Abebe Haile-Gabriel, Assistant Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

President of the African Academy of Sciences Lise Korsten said, "This platform signals the future (that) how we (are) going to strengthen South-South cooperation. My expectation is that this will be a game changer for the African continent in terms of becoming food secure, because we have many lessons that we can learn."

Ethiopia hosts China-Africa agro sci-tech innovation alliance assembly

China is willing to strengthen communication, enhance trust, eliminate interference, and deepen cooperation with Canada to bring bilateral relations forward on a steady and sound track in solid strides under the new circumstances, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, met with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand in Beijing on the day.

Referring to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to China, the first by a Canadian prime minister in eight years, Wang said the trip marks a milestone in bilateral ties and signals a turning point in the relationship.

The leaders of the two countries will hold meetings and talks, which are expected to open up new prospects for bilateral relations, said Wang.

The world today is undergoing profound and complex changes, and the impact of China-Canada relations transcends the bilateral scope, Wang noted.

Wang said that China and Canada have different social systems, stemming from different historical and cultural heritage, and based on the choices of their respective people.

He urged both sides to view each other in a rational and amicable manner with an inclusive mindset, handle issues on the basis of mutual respect, focus on the agenda of cooperation, and send positive messages so as to foster optimism, inject greater confidence into the development of bilateral relations, and jointly build a new type of strategic partnership between China and Canada.

Anand said the new Canadian government attaches great importance to relations with China. She also added that Prime Minister Carney looks forward to engaging in in-depth exchanges with Chinese leaders during the visit to set the course for the development of bilateral relations, resume dialogue in various fields, pursue more mutually beneficial outcomes, enhance coordination and cooperation in multilateral affairs, and further advance the strategic partnership between the two countries.

China ready to work for steady, sound ties with Canada: FM