The Forum on China-France-Africa Trilateral Cooperation was held in Wuhan University on October 13
th. Over 40 government officials, experts, scholars, and Chinese entrepreneur representatives working in Africa got together at the offices on Luojia Mountain (where Wuhan University's headquarters are located) to discuss the potential fields of collaboration and other ways for trilateral cooperation.
It is reported that the forum was jointly hosted by the French Studies Branch of the Chinese Association for European Studies, the French Studies Center of Wuhan University and the Research Center on French-Speaking Countries and co-organized by Wuhan Rayzone Education Management Company and Chongqing Technology and Business University. The Forum lasted one day and a half, namely the opening ceremony and keynote addresses on 13th and the theme report on the morning of the 14th.
Luo Yuting,Vice Party Secretary of Wuhan University, noted that the African continent is becoming more and more important in both economic strength and geopolitics, while China is growing to be one of the most significant trade partners of African countries. The French presence is obvious in Africa. In this context, the further cooperation among the three parties sets itself on an inevitable trend. He expressed the hope that this forum may contribute to relevant academic planning, with the aim of serving the national strategic decision. Qu Xing, Director of China Institute of International Studies and concurrent Director of French Studies Branch of Chinese Association for European Studies, mentioned that there is a huge opportunity for China, France and Africa to cooperate in such areas as anti-terrorist defense, environmental protection, health care, infrastructure construction and efforts against illegal immigration. Later, Gou Zhaoli(Vice President of Chongqing Technology and Business University) and Luo Guoxiang (director of Research Center on French-speaking Countries of Wuhan University) also delivered speeches.
During the keynote speeches, Qu Xing, Huang Ping(Director of European Studies Institute of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences), Liu Hongwu(Dean of African Studies Institue of Zhejiang Normal University), Zhang Linchu (researcher from the Chinese Foundation for International Studies) and Wang Yi (researcher from the Chinese Foundation for International Studies) engaged in elaborate arguments, covering the various aspects of trilateral cooperation, especially the concept of trilateral cooperation in the areas where the three sides can conduct and consolidate support, and the details that need attention in the mutual aid efforts. The themes of these keynote speeches pointed towards cooperation in business and trade, national security, maritime affairs, investment and construction, etc.
The forum came to an end amidst heated discussions. The participants expressed their desire to look forward to the theme reports the following day with full confidence in the trilateral cooperation.
(Rewritten by Liu Xueshuang, edited by Diana & Sijia Hu)
