On the evening of June 10, Beijing time, Zhang Jin, visiting professor of the MOFCOM Training Base for International Business Officials (Shanghai) and deputy director and associate professor of the African Studies Center of Shanghai Normal University, gave an online lecture on "The Belt and Road Initiative and the Path of China-Ethiopia Cooperation". The event was co-hosted by the MOFCOM Training Base for International Business Officials (Shanghai) and the School of Development Studies of Addis Ababa University from Ethiopia, and was presided over by Teshome Tafesse Beyene, visiting professor of our university and associate professor of the School of Development Studies of Addis Ababa University. Tesfaye Zeleke，Dean of the School of Development Studies of Addis Ababa Universit，Chen Wei and Dai Ying, Vice Deans of the College of International Education, doctoral students and researchers of the School of Development Studies of Addis Ababa University, and some of the participants of our previous foreign aid training projects from English-speaking African countries attended the event.
This lecture is one of the series of academic exchange activities "The Belt and Road Initiative and International Development Cooperation" organized by our university relying on the collaborative platform. With the goal of building the B&R academic community, our university actively promotes international exchanges between universities and academic institutions in different countries, continues to cooperate with relevant institutions along the B&R to build an open and shared exchange and collaboration platform, aiming to promote academic prosperity, resource sharing, achievement transformation and economic and trade cooperation.
In the opening speech, Dai Ying mentioned that Ethiopia is an important node connecting Africa under the B&R. Over the past 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Ethiopia, mutual political trust between the two countries has been deepened, and practical cooperation in economic and trade fields has yielded fruitful results. Focusing on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations in 2030, the academic institutions of both sides have common missions and responsibilities. How to recover as soon as possible and achieve long-term sustainable development is a common issue in the post-epidemic era. She hopes that with the help of this forum, the two sides will establish a more in-depth and extensive cooperation mechanism and achieve win-win development between the two universities.
Through the lecture, Zhang Jin reviewed the development of China-Africa relations and the background of the B&R initiative, introduced the important achievements of China-Africa cooperation under the B&R, listed the classic cases of China-Ethiopia cooperation, and analyzed in detail the prospects and challenges in the post-epidemic era. The experts and scholars from the School of Development Studies of Addis Ababa University expressed their opinions and discussed with the keynote speaker the prospects of China-Ethiopia B&R cooperation.
Dean Tesfaye Zeleke made a concluding speech on behalf of the School of Development Studies of Addis Ababa University. He said that as an important country in the B&R initiative, Ethiopia and China have a profound friendship and are comprehensive strategic partners. Ethiopia actively supports and participates in the construction of the B&R. The educational cooperation between the two sides has great potential. It is expected that the two universities will use this academic exchange activity as a starting point to carry out multi-level cooperation in cultural exchanges, personnel training, academic research and other aspects, and jointly create a model of China-Ethiopia cooperation.
Founded in 1950, Addis Ababa University is the largest and oldest comprehensive university in Ethiopia. The university has 10 secondary colleges and 10 scientific research institutions, and currently has nearly 50,000 students.
Written by: Li Yujing, Hong Xingzhi
Photos by: Chen Xiaoye
Reviewed by: Chen Wei
