The 2024 Forum on China-Africa Economic, Trade and Cultural Cooperation, held on November 8 in Jinhua, hosted by the Zhejiang provincial government and jointly organized by the Jinhua municipal government and Zhejiang Normal University. More than 400 delegates from 40 countries and regions gathered together, focusing on strengthening China-Africa ties under the theme “Exchanges and Mutual Learning, People-to-People Bond, Win-Win Cooperation”. 

The forum presented multiple pragmatic cooperation achievements, such as the 2024 China-Africa exchange month featuring Cultural Silk Road, ZJNU's research results on Africa, and a special report on how cooperation among Chinese and African enterprises enhances the upgrading of Africa's agricultural industrial chain. The China-Africa (Jinhua) Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Park was also unveiled at the forum.

ZJNU released three major research findings, including the Interpretation of the China-Africa Dar es Salaam Consensus, the China-Africa Capacity Cooperation Development Report, and the China-Africa Trade Index Report, highlighting progress in China-Africa modernization, energy, and trade.

28 projects were signed at the event, covering trade, overseas investment and contracting, overseas warehouses, etc., with a total contract amount of 47.91 billion yuan (about 6.67 billion U.S. dollars). The forum also held a signing ceremony for the first batch of enterprises settled in a China-Africa themed building in Zhejiang's Yiwu. 

IASZNU’s Director Prof Liu Hongwu delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony, emphasizing cultural exchange achievements in education, agriculture, and tourism, urging further cooperation to strengthen Jinhua’s role as a model for China-Africa collaboration. The 2024 China-Africa Cultural and Tourism Exchange Conference, another forum event, featured dialogues on technology and cultural heritage and introduced Zanzibar’s Taarab music to China.

At the same time, focusing on China-Africa economic and trade cooperation, cultural exchange, and empowerment of overseas Chinese leaders, four parallel events were also held concurrently, including the 2024 Conference on China-Africa Culture and Tourism Cooperation & Exchange, the Forum on 2024 China-Africa Industrial Cooperation and Cross-border E-commerce Development, etc., to build a broader stage for promoting practical cooperation between China and Africa.

     The Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Heritage of Zanzibar, Tanzania, Abd Suleiman Jumbu, delivered a video speech on the 2024 Conference on China-Africa Culture and Tourism Cooperation & Exchange while Ambassadors from nine African countries stationed in China and leaders from Jinhua City attended.

At the Forum on 2024 China-Africa Industrial Cooperation and Cross-border E-commerce Development , Abubakar Mohammed Yusuf, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Gusau Institute in Nigeria, spoke on e-commerce’s growth potential in Africa, noting China’s role in this digital expansion. Okechukwu Uche,Minister and Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in China, attended the forum.

Over the past decade, IASZNU has been pivotal in enhancing Jinhua’s contributions to China-Africa relations, establishing it as a core hub in national Africa-related cooperation efforts.