A view of the Maputo-Katembe bridge, a key Chinese-built infrastructure project in Mozambique. Photo: VCG

Editor's Note:
As 2026 marks the Year of China-Africa People-to-People Exchanges, the friendship between the people forms the vital cornerstone of China-Africa ties, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges serve as the enduring engine of intergenerational friendship between China and Africa. The Global Times, in collaboration with South Africa's Independent Media, has launched a series titled "Global South Dialogue." We have invited Chinese and African experts and scholars to engage in in-depth discussions on a wide range of topics related to China-Africa relations and their international context. The seventh installment of the series features discussions on the theme of "deepening experience exchange to help China and Africa chase dream of modernization."


Time to shatter the myth that 'modernization equals Westernization'

Ma Hanzhi (scholar at the Department for Developing Countries Studies, China Institute of International Studies): Emphasizing that every country has an inalienable right to modernization is a fundamental foundation for building a better world and advancing a shared future for humanity. Conversely, if only a handful of countries achieve high-level modernization while others remain chronically underdeveloped, a true shared future for humanity will remain out of reach. 

In the pursuit of modernization, it is essential to shatter the myth that "modernization equals Westernization" and to explore development paths that suit each country's specific national conditions. The historical modernization of Western developed countries was often accompanied by colonial plunder and war - making that path unsuitable as a universal model for today's world. Moreover, a modernization process aligned with one's own national realities has become an integral part of each country's identity.


Jesse Wilson (research and development officer at the Foreign Service Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Sierra Leone): The idea that development is synonymous with Westernization has always been a myth perpetuated by the West. When we travel to Western countries, we often view them as embodiments of highly advanced civilizations, but this perception is not entirely accurate.

If we delve deeper into history, we discover that many societies now labeled "second" or "third world" by the West were once advanced civilizations. During the Roman era, the senator Cato the Elder visited Carthage, a major North African civilization. He found it to be an advanced culture - culturally, economically and technologically - that could rival the Roman Empire itself. Struck by its prosperity and potential threat, Cato famously declared in Latin, "Carthago delenda est." ("Carthage must be destroyed.") The West has inherited this Roman ideology: the imperative to always remain No.1 and never allow another nation to surpass it.


Balew Demissie Kebede (communication and publication consultant at Ethiopian Policy Studies Institute): Debunking the long-standing assumption that modernization necessarily equals Westernization is therefore essential. For decades, a dominant narrative has suggested that progress could only be achieved by adopting Western political systems, cultural norms and social values. This view not only narrows the meaning of modernity but also undermines the richness of global diversity. When modernization is equated with Westernization, development risks becoming a process of cultural erosion, where local traditions, languages and social institutions are devalued or discarded. By separating the two, nations can modernize their economies and infrastructures while preserving and revitalizing their cultural identities, as demonstrated by China, which has achieved high levels of development without abandoning its social ethics.


Why China-Africa modernization cooperation matters

Balew Demissie Kebede: Together, China and Africa account for more than 2.8 billion people - nearly one-third of humanity - making their development central to the future of the international system. Closing the development gap between the Global North and the Global South is not only a moral aspiration but also a structural necessity. 

Economically, Africa represents the last major frontier for large-scale industrialization, urbanization and digital expansion, while China remains a core engine of global manufacturing, technological advancement and innovation. Their combined success is indispensable for sustaining global demand, stabilizing supply chains and preventing systemic economic fragmentation.

The partnership is equally critical to the global green transition. Africa possesses vast reserves of critical minerals such as cobalt and lithium, which are essential for renewable energy technologies, electric vehicles and energy storage systems. China, in turn, leads in green manufacturing, solar and wind technologies, and electric mobility. Without close cooperation between African resource producers and Chinese technology providers, global climate targets and sustainable modernization goals will remain out of reach.


Ma Hanzhi: For both China and Africa, jointly advancing modernization aligns with each side's practical needs and represents a major opportunity. The shared pursuit of the dream of modernization between China and Africa is not only the inevitable outcome of deepening mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation, but also one of its core objectives. Both sides are now entering new stages of development, with strong complementary advantages and vast opportunities in economic and trade cooperation. 

Moving forward, we should seize these new opportunities to further promote connectivity between Chinese and African markets, integration of industries, mutual promotion of innovation and alignment of rules. This will continuously expand converging interests, facilitate the smooth circulation of resources and production factors, and foster a more efficient and dynamic China-Africa economic interaction as well as comprehensive cooperation. Such efforts hold great significance for China, Africa, the Global South, and the world at large.


Advancing modernization together through mutual learning

Jesse Wilson: It is the unity of oneness that will ultimately lead Africa to development. Africa possesses abundant resources, but it also has the potential to produce goods and value-added products. Rather than simply exporting raw resources, Africa can learn from China - not just by receiving help, but by actively going to China to study the key elements and mechanisms of how to create and manufacture other products. We can draw lessons from Chinese trade practices and adapt them to our own context.

We must avoid a one-sided view of cooperation. Instead, we should borrow successful approaches and thoughtfully implement them in ways that suit our own needs and realities. Such mutual learning would greatly benefit Chinese investors and businesses operating in Africa, as well as Africans themselves.

Above all, there must be a genuine sense of unity and oneness - both among Africans across the continent and between Africans and Chinese.


Balew Demissie Kebede: As the world enters 2026, officially designated the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, the partnership between the two has evolved beyond building roads, railways and ports to constructing durable bridges of knowledge, institutional capacity and governance experience.

Central to this evolving relationship is a deepening exchange of governance experiences. China and Africa are increasingly engaged in a dialogue on development practices grounded in mutual respect and contextual adaptation. Institutionalized platforms such as the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the 2024 Beijing Action Plan have expanded this exchange through the establishment of China-Africa research centers and the China-Africa Network of Knowledge for Development. These initiatives facilitate joint research, policy learning and the sharing of development strategies tailored to national realities.

This exchange is further strengthened through leadership and talent training programs that bring African political leaders, civil servants and policy practitioners to China to study public administration, poverty alleviation, rural revitalization and development planning. At the same time, the growing emphasis on projects such as localized healthcare, education and livelihood initiatives has shifted cooperation to the grassroots level. These projects enable direct learning on how governance can become more responsive, inclusive and effective in improving everyday lives.

The significance of this partnership extends well beyond China and Africa. For both sides, it enhances strategic autonomy by reducing dependence on external actors and creating resilient South-South development synergies. It also enables mutual learning: African countries draw lessons from China's large-scale poverty reduction and long-term planning, while China gains insights from Africa's digital leapfrogging, youthful demographics and entrepreneurial dynamism.

For the wider Global South, the China-Africa partnership has a powerful demonstration effect. At the global level, the implications are equally profound. Development remains the most effective antidote to the root causes of forced migration, extremism and regional instability. A modernized China and Africa, therefore, serve as stabilizing anchors for the global economy and international security. More broadly, this partnership signals a shift away from a monolithic vision of modernity toward a pluralistic, multipolar world in which different civilizations contribute distinct pathways and solutions to shared human challenges.