Chinese president Xi Jinping (centre) with South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa (centre left) and other African leaders in 2018 Beijing FOCAC summit. Photo: AP/file photo.
By Jiang Feng – Feb 9, 2026
At the beginning of this year, I noticed a growing trend on social media: people sharing moments of “Becoming Chinese” in their lives. They replace iced drinks with warm water, practice Baduanjin, explore the wisdom of traditional Chinese medicine, cook home-style Chinese dishes, and reassess the pace of their daily lives in search of a more balanced way of living. Many of these videos end with a simple yet heartfelt declaration: “You met me at a very Chinese time in my life.”
What we are witnessing is more than an online trend. It is a resonance that transcends language, culture, and geography—people finding inspiration to enrich their present lives within each other’s civilizations.
Having worked in Africa for many years, I can also say with pride, “You met me at a very African time in my life.” Here, culture is not an abstract concept, but a lived experience shaped day by day. Injera, Ethiopia’s traditional food, injera, made from naturally fermented teff flour, is not only distinctive in flavor but also beneficial for digestion. It has long become one of my favorite dishes. The Afrobeat song “Chanel” by South African singer Tyla, has sparked a dance challenge on Chinese social media, where young people have engaged in a cross-cultural dialogue through movement and rhythm.
Africa is also becoming an increasingly popular destination for Chinese tourists. From the echoes of history at Egypt’s pyramids to the vibrant life of Kenya’s savannah and the turquoise waters and white sands of Mauritius, more and more Chinese travelers are exploring this vast continent. By walking its lands and immersing themselves in its cultures, they come to better understand Africa—and, along the way, rediscover the world and themselves.
Cultural exchanges occur time and again over meals, through music and dance, and during journeys. These seemingly ordinary yet genuine interactions form the most solid and warm foundation of China-–Africa people-to-people exchanges. 2026 marks the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, an important consensus reached by President Xi Jinping and African leaders. Nearly 600 exchange activities will be held throughout the year, bringing together youth, cultural, media, and other sectors, covering a wide range of China-–Africa engagement and further strengthening public support for China-–Africa friendship.
Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the launching ceremony of the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges at the African Union headquarters, read out a congratulatory letter from President Xi Jinping and delivered a keynote speech.
This year also marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Africa. The world today is undergoing accelerated transformation unseen in a century, and global challenges become more prominent. The Global South, represented by China and Africa, is developing and rising irresistibly. Both China and Africa are at a critical stage of their respective development and revitalization. Both China and Africa are at critical stages of their respective development and revitalization. Recently, China has continued the tradition of making Africa the destination of the Chinese foreign minister’s first overseas visit trip of the in a new year being to Africa. This visit carried forward the traditional China-Africa friendship between China and Africa, reflects the consistency of China’s policy toward Africa demonstrated the consistency and stability of China’s Africa policy, valuable certainty to the world provided much-needed certainty to a changing world, and demonstrates the solidarity of developing countries showcased the solidarity of developing countries.
You met us at a very African and Chinese time in our shared journey. I firmly believe that, by taking the launch of the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges as an opportunity, both sides will uphold their original aspiration of friendship and solidify the foundation of cooperation, promote civilizations to transcend estrangement through exchanges, and to transcend clashes through mutual learning by upholding their original aspiration of friendship and solidify the foundation of cooperation. In doing so, we will continue to enhance the substance of the all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era, and jointly embrace a brighter future for China-Africa relations and the Global South.
I firmly believe that, taking the China–Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges as an opportunity, and guided by our original aspiration for friendship, both sides will further consolidate the foundations of cooperation, use exchanges among civilizations to transcend estrangement, and promote mutual learning among civilizations to rise above conflict. In doing so, we will continue to enrich the China–Africa community with a shared future for the new era and jointly embrace a brighter future for China–Africa relations.
Amb. Jiang Feng, head of Mission of China to the AU and Representative of China to the UNECA.
