The 5th China‑Africa Future Leaders’ Dialogue Symposium on Green Development convened this week in Jinhua City, bringing together young environmental advocates, policymakers, and scholars from both China and Africa to reimagine sustainable cooperation. Organized under China’s vision for ecological civilization, the event aimed to convert shared green ideals into practical collaboration and innovation.
Jemilatu Mamshie Bawa, chief operating officer of the All‑Africa Students Union, urged her peers to harness their energy and influence in shaping the continent’s green transition. “Young Africans and Chinese standing together at this moment can guide sustainable change through committed action,” she encouraged. Ntsoaki Agnes Matela, diplomat from Lesotho’s embassy in China, also emphasized that youth-led innovation, empowerment, and institutional capacity building are essential to realizing Africa-China green objectives.
Participants toured local ecological projects in Zhejiang, witnessing how the province has transformed Chinese environmental philosophy into urban restoration, green infrastructure, and ecological monitoring in daily life.
Student delegates shared green initiative ideas ranging from ecological agriculture and renewable energy to sustainable construction and green startups. Many pledged collaborative ventures across China and Africa built on mutual trust, technical know-how, and community-driven results. As student Houakazolo Ketivi Lornede from the Republic of the Congo remarked, “We need cooperation that is sustainable, inclusive, and green, because true peace cannot be achieved by politics and economics alone is intertwined with ecological stability.”
Held under the broader framework of the Forum on China‑Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and Zhejiang’s ecological governance experiments, the symposium reflects a deliberate strategy to engage the next generation. To date, China has undertaken over 100 clean energy and green development projects under the FOCAC framework, supporting African countries in their green and sustainable development, ranging from clean-energy investments to biodiversity restoration.
