At the invitation of the Higher Institute of Languages of Tunis (ISLT), University of Carthage (UCAR), a delegation of the China-Africa Institute (CAI) visited Tunisia for academic exchange from February 21 to 24, 2025.

Participants at the 22^nd China Lecture

The 22^nd China Lecture, co-organized by the CAI and the ISLT, was held under the theme of "Deepen China-Africa Cooperation to Spearhead the Global South Modernization" on February 22 in Tunis. The lecture was chaired by Samah Abdelkader, an assistant professor at ISLT, and attended by faculty members and students from the ISLT，the Higher Institute of Management in Tunisia and media outlets. Professor Houda Hazami from the Higher Institute of Management in Tunisia, Professor Khaled Ahmed, Director of the Oriental Languages at ISLT, Professor Samah Abdelkader and Haykel Toumi from the ISLT, presented their insights on China-Africa modernization cooperation in the context of cultural exchange.

 Speakers at the lecture (from left to right: Yuan Lijie, Zhou Yunfan, Hichem Messaoudi) 

Yuan Lijie, Chargé d'Affaires ad interim of the Chinese Embassy in Tunisia, noted in her speech that China and Africa have always been a community with a shared future, and strengthening people-to-people exchange and cooperation will inject strong momentum into the joint pursuit of modernization by China and Africa. She raised her hope that this event will bring academic exchanges and cultural collaboration between China and Tunisia to a new height. Zhou Yunfan, Vice President of the CAI, briefed on the development history of the CAI and highlighted the significance of the topics addressed at the lecture. She encouraged scholars from China and Tunisia to seize this opportunity to deepen exchanges and cooperation. Professor Hichem Messaoudi, Director of the ISLT and Foreign Dean of the Confucius Institute at the University of Carthage, noted that this lecture will help the academic and educational communities in Tunisia to better understand China and China-Africa friendship.

Speakers at the lecture (1^st row from left to right: Cai Yeuzhou, Deng Yanting, Qi Qiangfei, Houda Hazami; 2^nd row from left to right: Khaled Ahmed, Samah Abdelkader, Haykel Toumi)

In his speech, Cai Yuezhou underlined China's achievements in leveraging digital economy for poverty alleviation and the accomplishments of China-Africa cooperation in digital economy. He outlined the opportunities for enhancing collaboration between China and Africa by accelerating digital transformation. Focusing on how Chinese modernization offers valuable experiences, solutions, and wisdom for Africa, Deng Yanting examined the similarities between the exploration of Chinese modernization and Africa's pursuit of modernization and regional integration. He further discussed the pathways for China and Africa to jointly build a high-level development community within the context of the Global South. Qi Qiangfei, from a philosophical perspective, examined the similarities between traditional philosophical ideas in Chinese culture and those in African cultures, particularly within African Islamic traditions. His analysis offers strong support for the discussion of mutual learning between Chinese and African civilizations.

Prof. Khaled Ahmed outlined the historical development of China-Africa friendship and raised his expectations for future cooperation between China and Tunisia in jointly promoting modernization. Focusing on China-Tunisia collaboration under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Prof. Houda Hazami explained how Tunisia will work with China to accelerate its development. Prof. Haykel Toumi emphasized his speech on China-Africa cooperation in education. He gave detailed analysis of the pathways and achievements of China-Tunisia collaboration in education. With reference to translation of Chinese academic papers, Prof. Samah Abdelkader analyzed the significance of people-to-people exchange between China and Tunisia. Prof. Hichem Messaoudi discussed the similarities between Chinese-Arab and Chinese-African traditional cultural concepts, and highlighted the prospects for strengthening people-to-people exchange between China and Africa, and between China and the Arab world.

 Participants at the 22^nd China Lecture

The lecture was covered by China’s Xinhua News Agency and mainstream media outlets of Tunisia. Prior to the lecture, the delegation visited the Confucius Institute at Carthage University, and held discussions with its foreign director Prof. Hichem Messaoudi and the Chinese director Ru Xin, on strengthening communication and cooperation between the two sides.

The CAI delegation also visited the Higher Institute of Human Sciences of Tunis, and held discussions with the director Prof. Mohamed Ghodhbane, on enhancing academic exchanges and cooperation in philosophy and social sciences. The delegation conducted a field visit to Huawei Branch Office in Tunisia, and had an in-depth communication with the Manager Hong Liang on the business operation of Chinese enterprises in Tunisia. When meeting with Prof. Houda Hazami at the Higher Institute of Management, the experts discussed about promoting joint research between China and Tunisia under the BRI. Furthermore, the delegation visited the Chinese Embassy in Tunisia.