African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf has emphasized that people-to-people exchanges are vital for strengthening China-Africa relations, during an exclusive interview with China Media Group (CMG) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The opening ceremony of the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges was held at the African Union headquarters on Jan 8. According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the two sides will jointly host nearly 600 cultural and people-to-people exchange activities in 2026 to enhance exchanges and mutual learning between the two civilizations, and promote mutual understanding and connection between the peoples.
Organizing the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges is an important consensus reached by leaders from both sides at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Beijing Summit in 2024.
President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the opening of the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, in which he stressed that exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations are a driving force for human progress and a foundation for peace and development.
In the CMG interview aired Friday, Youssouf, who attended the opening ceremony, said that putting people first is the key to achieving development goals and consolidating China-Africa relations.
"First of all, I want to thank and congratulate President Xi Jinping for this initiative of making of this year 2026 the year of partnership between the people of China and people of Africa. We believe that in this continent, if we want to succeed in what we are trying to do in Agenda 2063 objectives, it should be people-centered. I think this concept of creating those bridges between the Chinese people and the African people is really an existential issue, because at the end of the day, our political action is in the best interest for the well-being of our people. So we welcome this idea. We have been privileged to host this event here. I think it's a really a launching pad for a very rich year of exchanges between our two peoples," he said.
AU chairperson highlights people-to-people exchanges as key to China-Africa future
Demonstrators from civil groups, labor unions and other communities in South Africa rallied outside the U.S. Consulate in Johannesburg on Friday, denouncing U.S. unilateral military actions against Venezuela and voicing solidarity with the Latin American nation.
They gathered along the street in front of the consulate, carrying banners that read "Hands Off Venezuela" and "Stop Imperialism," chanting slogans against U.S. hegemony and aggression.
"We are here to protest the U.S. threats to global peace, the abduction of President Nicolas Maduro Moros of Venezuela, which was done in violation of international law, in violation of territorial integrity of Venezuela, of course, in violation of national sovereignty of Venezuela," said Solly Afrika Mapaila, general secretary of the South African Communist Party.
In the early hours of Jan. 3, the United States carried out a military strike against Venezuela and captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, taking them to the United States.
Some protesters said the crisis in Venezuela shows how geopolitical struggles have direct and immediate effects on ordinary people's lives.
"Venezuela belongs to the people of Venezuela and nobody else. For American belligerent and colonial aggression, quite frankly, is not just something very distant. Never before have questions of geopolitics been of immediate and direct relevance and direct and immediate impacts on the day-to-day lives of ordinary people, as you are seeing today," said Mametlwe Sebei, president of the General Industries Workers Union of South Africa (GIWUSA).
Placards at the rally blended English and Spanish slogans, while some demonstrators sang liberation songs from South Africa's anti-apartheid era to express solidarity. Passing motorists slowed in front of the consulate, honking in support.
Defying the summer heat, the crowd remained spirited and resolute, their chants echoing along the street in a clear call for an end to foreign interference and respect for Venezuela's sovereignty.
South Africans rally in solidarity with Venezuela against U.S. aggression
South Africans rally in solidarity with Venezuela against U.S. aggression
South Africans rally in solidarity with Venezuela against U.S. aggression
