On April 24, 2026, a delegation of the China-Africa Institute (CAI), led by Professor Ye Hailin, President of the CAI, visited Ethiopia for academic exchange. A cooperation agreement was signed between the CAI and Addis Ababa University (AAU) to jointly launch the center for China and Africa studies. This visit aims to implement the important instructions delivered by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). President Xi jinping proposed that China and Africa jointly advance the Partnership Action for Mutual Learning Among Civilizations, and establish centers on China and Africa studies, so as to further advance cooperation between China-Africa think tanks.

Dr. Samuel Kifle, President of the AAU delivered a speech at the signing ceremony. He extended a warm welcome and deep appreciation to the CAI delegation. He noted that the establishment of the center at AAU will provide new opportunities for its China-Africa studies, and AAU will give full support to the development of the center. 

Prof. Ye Hailin said in his remarks that the center for China and Africa studies shoulders three key missions: to promote exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and African civilizations, to share experience of modernization drive, and to foster dialogue in governance experience. He expressed hope that the center will boost people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between China and Africa, and further contribute intellectual insights to help the two sides better align their development visions. 

The two sides agreed to jointly develop the study center as a regular academic exchange platform. A series of measures will be implemented for its development, including dispatching Chinese scholars, organizing academic seminars, cultivating young scholars, and conducting joint research projects and field investigations, with a view to build a China-Africa academic community.

Mr. Zhang Wei, Chargé d’Affaires of the Mission of China to the African Union (AU) also witnessed the signing ceremony. He underlined the vital role played by academic institutions in advancing China-Africa relations. He expressed the hope that the center will help to deepen China-Africa exchanges on governance experience; to offer intellectual support for jointly safeguarding the international order; to promote mutual learning among civilizations; and to cultivate young scholars and experts from both China and Africa. Through all these efforts, he added, the center will provide solid intellectual underpinning for building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.

Group photo after the signing ceremony (from left to right: Dr. Samuel Kifle, Prof. Ye Hailin, Mr. Zhang Wei)

The official signing of the bilateral strategic cooperation agreement between the CAI and AAU, Ethiopia's largest university, marks a landmark achievement in academic exchanges between China and Ethiopia. Home to the AU headquarters, Ethiopia serves as an important diplomatic and academic hub in Africa. The academic visit by the CAI has not only helped to put academic cooperation on an institutional footing, but also represented a concrete step to implement the important instructions of President Xi Jinping. By establishing cooperation platforms, Chinese and Ethiopian think tanks will advance the building of a China-Africa knowledge network for development, so as to ensure that academic exchange outcomes better serve national development strategies, and create solid academic foundations for building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future.

Group photo of CAI delegation and AAU representatives