The 9th China-Africa Youth Festival opens in Beijing

The opening ceremony of the 9th China-Africa Youth Festival was held in Beijing, China, Sept. 9, 2025. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]

On Sept 9, the opening ceremony of the 9th China-Africa Youth Festival was held in Beijing. The event was co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation and the People's Government of Qinghai Province.  

More than 200 attendees participated, including senior officials from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ambassadors, as well as other senior diplomats from close to 50 African countries. Alongside them were representatives from the African Union, UNICEF, African youth delegates visiting China, Chinese youth representatives, and African journalists.  

Vice Foreign Minister Miao Deyu said the festival, a flagship program under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, serves as a platform for mutual learning and helps carry out the forum's initiatives. He said he hopes Chinese and African youth will become partners in modernization, friends who strengthen dialogue between civilizations and deepen people-to-people ties, and pioneers who support global initiatives to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Vice Foreign Minister Miao Deyu attended and addressed the opening ceremony of the 9th China-Africa Youth Festival in Beijing, China, Sept. 9, 2025. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]

Li Bin, vice chairperson of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and chairperson of the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation, said China and Africa have long shared close ties, with relations now at their strongest.

Li Bin, vice chairperson of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and chairperson of the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation, addressed the opening ceremony of the 9th China-Africa Youth Festival in Beijing, China, Sept. 9, 2025. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]

Amid global uncertainty, she urged young people to recognize long-term development trends, strengthen trust through exchanges, work together to safeguard peace and fairness, and contribute to building a community with a shared future for mankind. The China-Africa Youth Festival was launched after the 2015 Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. It promotes exchanges between Chinese and African youth, fosters friendship, and cultivates future generations committed to China-Africa ties. Since its debut in 2016, the festival has been held eight times, helping to deepen mutual understanding between young people from both sides.

Dalva Maurĺcia Calombo Ringote Allen, Ambassador of Angola to China, attended and addressed the opening ceremony of the 9th China-Africa Youth Festival in Beijing, China, Sept. 9, 2025. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]

This year's festival takes place from Sept. 8 to 13 in Beijing and west China's Qinghai Province. 59 youth representatives from FOCAC African member states and African communities around the world will participate in a series of activities, including visits, cultural experiences, and dialogues. The core mission is to gain insights into traditional Chinese culture, rural revitalization, ecological conservation and achievements in high-tech development.