Harare, Zimbabwe - August 19, 2025 - The main session of the 2025 Harare Africa Forum opened on August 19 at the Harare Celebration Centre, bringing together more than 200 participants from government agencies, academia, media, and business circles from China, Zimbabwe, and other countries. Themed "Rural Development and Modernization: 2025 Harare Forum for Africa Series," the forum is co-hosted by Tsinghua University’s School of Journalism and Communication, the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies under China International Communications Group, and the China-Zimbabwe Exchange Centre.
Rural Modernization and China-Africa Cooperation
In his keynote address, Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Ding Zhou highlighted that modernization does not equate to Westernization. He stated that China would continue supporting Zimbabwe’s agricultural modernization through infrastructure development, technology transfer, and zero-tariff policies, while collaborating with Zimbabwe to carry out the consensus reached by their leaders, commemorating the 45th anniversary of their bilateral relations.
Zimbabwe’s Minister of Women's Affairs, Community Development and Enterprise Growth, Monica Mutsvangwa, underscored that rural communities are “the heart of Africa,” stressing the role of small enterprises, women, and youth as the driving forces of rural revitalization. She called for stronger collaboration between government and society to unlock rural potential.
Zimbabwe is committed to deepening cultural exchanges and collaboration with China to promote the arts industry, Napoleon Nyanhi, chief executive officer of the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe.
"A lot of exchange has happened in the areas of live performance, including music, dance, and instrumentation. We are intrigued to see the increased collaboration that has gone into other spheres of the arts, which are areas of fashion design, areas of filmmaking, and television production," said Nyanhi.
In his keynote speech, Professor Qing'an Zhou, dean of Tsinghua University's School of Journalism and Communication, emphasized that rural stories are integral to the broader global development narrative. The school underscores the importance of China’s relations with the Global South and has conducted extensive research in this area. Recently, China-Africa cooperation has intensified. He hopes this forum will act as a crucial platform for interdisciplinary dialogue and amplify the collective voice of countries in the Global South.
Professor Winston Mano of the University of Westminster urged scholars to move beyond “Global North-centrism” and reconstruct development narratives through “African Studies.” Professor Yuezhi Zhao, chairperson of the Harare African Forum and a Humanities Chair Professor at Tsinghua University, highlighted that the Forum serves not just as an academic exchange platform but also as a cross-disciplinary space centered on practical application. It aims to advance decolonization, generate knowledge rooted in local experiences, and actively support impactful actions and practices.
Platforms for China-Africa Exchange
The forum also witnessed the release of new publications, including the multilingual Decoding Whole-Process People’s Democracy and a research report titled Witnessing: Chinese-Style Modernization in Rural Communities, which features Zimbabwean scholars’ field studies on China’s rural revitalization practices.
Additional initiatives were launched, including the inauguration of Tsinghua University’s Global South Communication Research and Teaching Practice Base in Zimbabwe, the establishment of the Zimbabwe Students Association in China, the unveiling of the “China-Africa Scholars” program, and an awards ceremony recognizing outstanding academic papers—all designed to strengthen youth exchange and academic collaboration.
