“2026 Year of People-to-People Exchanges” a New Chapter in Africa-China Relations

Africa -China relations will take a special focus on expanding cooperation in culture, education, tourism, the arts and youth exchanges. On Jan 8, 2026, Chinese and African leaders gathered at the headquarters of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, to launch the, “ 2026-Year of People-to-People Exchanges” initiative.

 The ceremony was attended by member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi. African leaders present included the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Congo, Jean-Claude Gakosso, the African co-chair of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, and the President of Ethiopia, Taye Atske-Selassie Made.

More than 200 participants attended the event, including senior officials from the AU Commission and AU institutions, diplomatic envoys from African countries to the AU, high-level representatives of the United Nations agencies, government officials and representatives from various sectors of Ethiopia. 

The 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges is an important initiative jointly agreed upon by President Xi Jinping and African leaders at the Forum for China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit.  The priorities of the initiative,  and its people-centered approach directly links to  Agenda 2063, the African Union's long-term development blueprint, which emphasizes dignity, cultural confidence, integration, and inclusive growth, and the spirit of both Confucianism and Ubuntu as the bedrock of China-Africa cooperation.

The aim of the initiative is to build stronger, more sustainable bonds and solidify public support for China-Africa relations through promoting learning and shared cultural experiences. The Initiative seeks to foster deeper mutual appreciation and understanding amongst citizens of both sides.

A White paper unveiled in 2025, says that over 58 major events, and nearly 600 total activities are planned to take place in both China and Africa. The activities and events include the commemoration of the China-Africa Cultural Silk Road Exchange Month, wushu conferences, film festivals, and fashion shows amongst others.

The agenda of the initiative indicates that   over 20 specific projects and various pan-African initiatives will take place in South Africa with the support of the Chinese Embassy and AU partners, while others will be in other parts of Africa.

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Mao Ning, nearly 600 people-to-people exchange activities will be held throughout the year under the theme, ‘Consolidate All-Weather Friendship, Pursue a Shared Dream of Modernization.”

China-Africa cultural and social exchanges have already yielded tangible results. China has established 17 Luban Workshops across 15 African countries, training tens of thousands of skilled professionals. China has also signed tourism cooperation agreements with more than 30 African countries, with 34 African destinations now open to Chinese group tours.

The Year of People-to-People Exchanges locates youth and women at the heart of its programming whose thrust is centred on training, education, and cultural exchange, underscoring a shared belief that development is ultimately about people.

The focus of the cooperation on culture, education, youth, tourism, and social engagement, sectors dominated by young people has the potential to unlock new entrepreneurial and employment opportunities for both sides, while providing opportunities for rich cultural immersion. As the world's youngest continent, Africa's demographic potential can be unlocked by empowering youths and women and broader segments of society as the main driver of broadly participatory socio-economic transformation.

People to people exchanges could build long-term trust through mutually shared learning and experiences amongst citizens through cultural festivals, academic exchange programs, sports events, and volunteer work to create personal, non-governmental connection.

It uniquely deepens international relationships amongst states by directly connecting individuals and communities, facilitating grassroots engagement within cultural, educational, and sports environments. Such diplomacy generates experiential, and in some cases personal connections to foster mutual understanding, break down stereotypes, and create a positive, stable foundation for cooperation, deepening and anchoring official state-to-state relations.

While Africa-China cultural exchanges have been taking place, the new initiative opens a new chapter on a bigger scale to consolidate decades of growing friendly socio-economic and diplomatic relations by taking diplomacy directly to the citizens of both sides. China–Africa relations have evolved over centuries, beginning with early contacts through trade and exploration, most notably during the Ming dynasty voyages of Admiral Zheng in the 15th century.

In the modern era, relations deepened during the USA-USSR Cold War as the People's Republic of China supported African liberation movements and newly independent states with diplomatic, and material assistance, positioning Beijing as a close partner in the fight against imperialist colonial dominance.

During this period, the USA and its Western allies pursued a policy of communist containment, supported insurrectionists organizations, and settler regimes, inflaming complex conflicts and delaying the realisation of independence and self-determination in Africa.

Since the late 20th and early 21st centuries, China–Africa relations have become increasingly institutionalized and economically driven, marked by large-scale trade, infrastructure investment, development financing, and political cooperation through forums such as the Belt and Road Initiative(BRI) and the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), reflecting a shift from solidarity-based engagement to a multifaceted strategic partnership. China has emerged as the biggest trading partner with the African continent ahead of the USA.

The Year of People-to-People Exchanges initiative is a crucial intervention by partners from both sides to deepen flourishing relations.  The initiative will further consolidate proliferating diplomatic and socio-economic cooperation by bringing bilateral and multilateral diplomacy closer to the people. The African continent, and China, with populations of about   1.5 billion and 1.4 billion people respectively, boost a wealth of diverse cultures, material resources and strong bilateral and multilateral relations. 

Since the mid-20th century, China has hosted African students through scholarships and training programs, while medical teams, agricultural experts, and volunteers have worked across African countries, creating long-term interpersonal ties. In recent decades, initiatives such as Confucius Institutes, sister-city partnerships, media exchanges, tourism, and growing African and Chinese diaspora communities have further deepened everyday contact, making people-to-people engagement a key pillar of China–Africa relations that complements economic cooperation and political dialogue.

In a congratulatory message delivered on his behalf by Minister Wang Yi, President Xi Jinping reinforced the significance of mutual learning among civilizations in advancing China-Africa modernization. He outlined the direction and principles of China-Africa people-to-people and cultural exchanges and cooperation providing important guidance for building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.

Minister Wang Yi emphasized that people-to-people exchanges constitute the most solid foundation of China-Africa friendship, while calling for deeper mutual learning through enhanced exchanges on governance and modernisation experiences. He also spoke about enduring China-Africa relations, emphasising enduring stable policy continuity, solidarity, and friendship. 

 The Minister highlighted China’s commitment to maintaining stability and certainty into Sino-African cooperation and global engagement providing predictable bilateral and multilateral cooperation, in contrast to hegemonic and self-serving approaches by other global powers.

He emphasised that China and Africa have an even greater need to uphold fairness and justice, strengthen solidarity, and deepen exchanges and cooperation, further expressing China's readiness to expand unilateral opening-up toward Africa, turning its vast market into new opportunities for African countries. 

African leaders expressed confidence that the year of people-to-people exchanges would usher in a new chapter, pledging to expand cooperation in culture, and broadly pursue just, equitable and fair multilateral cooperation.

Gideon H Chitanga, PhD is a Political and International Relations Analyst