Academics and professionals knowledgeable about climate change have called for more cooperation between China and African nations in the aspect of climate cooperation.
The call was made at the ninth meeting of the China-Africa Think Tank Forum, in a session organised by the Department for Developing Countries Studies of the China Institute for International Studies.
The experts agreed that China and African countries have, over the years, cooperated on climate change issues through training exchanges, scholarship programs, transfer of technology, among many others.
However, the scale of challenges posed by climate change calls for increased investment in the existing, thriving relationship between China and African nations.
“Climate change has a higher impact on the already vulnerable, including children and the elderly,” Robert Gituru, a Professor at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya, said during the session. “If we want to improve the lives of poor people, then we must have close collaboration between African and Chinese scientists.”
Zhu Weidong, a research fellow of the China-Africa Institute, correctly noted that while Africa contributes little to climate pollution, the effect is harsher on the continent, thus the need for more cooperation between both China and African nations.
The ninth China-Africa Think-Tank Forum took place between November 4 and 5, and brought together hundreds of diplomats and experts from across the world to discuss the history of cooperation between China and Africa over the last two decades, as well as future cooperation.
This year also marks the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Forum of China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), a dynamic plaform which has elevated and strengthened the quality of discourse between China and African countries.
