China, Africa to stage 600 cultural exchange events in 2026

China and Africa will hold nearly 600 people-to-people exchange activities in 2026 to deepen mutual learning between the two civilizations, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a press briefing in Beijing on Friday.

ID: 8460908 Her announcement came after the official launch of the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges at the African Union (AU) headquarters in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, on Thursday.

"The 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges is a major initiative agreed between President Xi Jinping and African leaders during the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing. President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the opening ceremony, expressing hope that both sides will take the people-to-people exchange year as an opportunity to carry forward traditional friendship, strengthen mutual learning between civilizations, enhance exchanges, especially among youth, deepen sharing of governance experience, and work hand in hand to advance modernization. Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the opening ceremony, where he spoke highly of the achievements of China-Africa cultural exchanges and joined African guests in unveiling the logo for the Year of People-to-People Exchanges," said Mao.

"Throughout this year, the two sides will stage nearly 600 exchange activities under the theme of 'consolidating all-weather friendship, jointly pursuing modernization dreams' to enhance mutual learning between the two civilizations and promote people-to-people connectivity," she said.

China, Africa to stage 600 cultural exchange events in 2026

The cost of the U.S. military campaign against Iran has risen to at least 47 billion U.S. dollars, more than 25 percent higher than the Defense Department's estimate in July, the Reuters news agency reported Tuesday.

The latest estimate, compiled by the U.S. Central Command on Oct 16 and provided by the Pentagon to Congress last week, includes more than 29 billion U.S. dollars to replace expended munitions such as air defense interceptors and bombs.

More than 6 billion U.S. dollars would be needed to replace military equipment ​and so-called "platform losses," which include the loss of aircraft including many drones lost during the war, the Reuters reported, citing the Pentagon estimate.

The Air Force has spent 7.6 billion U.S. dollars since the United States and Israel launched joint military attacks on Iran on Feb 28, followed by the Army at 2.1 billion U.S. dollars and the Navy at 1.5 billion U.S. dollars.

The estimate does not include the cost of damage to U.S. military bases in the Middle East.

U.S. military raises cost estimate of Iran war to 47 billion U.S. dollars