China News Agency, Johannesburg, March 10th: China-Africa scientific and technological exchanges in my eyes

　　——Interview with Professor Ekuska of Fort Hale University in South Africa

　　China News Agency reporter Wang Xi

　　At present, China-Africa relations are deepening, and scientific and technological exchanges as an important part of it have attracted more and more attention in recent years. They have frequently yielded fruitful results in aerospace, agriculture, biology, chemistry and other fields, promoting the development and progress of Africa's science and technology and economy, and promoting China-Africa bilateral cooperation. The relationship goes on and on.

　　Aurusgen Oyebad Ekuska, a professor at Fort Hale University in South Africa who has focused on exchanges and cooperation in the field of science and technology between China and Africa in recent years, recently accepted an exclusive interview with China News Agency "East and West" to talk about the development characteristics of China-Africa science and technology cooperation and meaning.

The interview transcript is summarized as follows:

China News Agency reporter: Could you please introduce the basic situation of China-Africa scientific and technological exchanges.

Ekuska:

Scientific and technological cooperation is an important part of the "China-Africa Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership".

China has signed intergovernmental scientific and technological cooperation agreements with Egypt, South Africa, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Nigeria, Kenya and other African countries.

　　For decades, China has carried out extensive cooperation and exchanges with many African countries in fields of science and technology of common concern, such as agriculture, medicine, health, environment, new energy, information, communication, transportation, biology, new materials, and aerospace.

Africa-China scientific and technological cooperation has evolved from a purely intergovernmental cooperation model to a multi-level, multi-field, all-round, diverse and content-rich cooperation model.

The night view of the theme flower bed of the "Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation".

Photo by Jia Tianyong

China News Agency reporter: What are the characteristics of China-Africa scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation?

Ekuska:

From the perspective of the field of exchange, because different countries in Africa have different needs, so in the process of scientific and technological cooperation between the two sides, the fields of cooperation are also different.

For example, South Africa has a relatively good economic and technological foundation, so it pays more attention to cooperation in medical care, information, and new material technology; while Egypt has a large desert, the two sides have more cooperation in the fields of environmental protection and desert control technology.

　　From the perspective of exchange subjects, more and more Chinese technology companies have entered Africa in recent years, and enterprises have played an important role in Africa-China technology cooperation.

　　As of 2022, among the more than 150 Chinese-funded enterprises in South Africa, technology companies account for nearly one-third, nearly half of non-Chinese enterprises have brought new products or services to the local market, and more than one-third of enterprises have brought new products or services to the local market. Here comes new technology.

Especially in the fields of telecommunications, mobile phones, and new energy, it has promoted the economic and social development of African countries.

The Abuja Urban Railway in Nigeria, undertaken by China Railway Construction Corporation Nigeria, was successfully delivered.

The picture shows Nigerian elementary school students traveling by urban rail.

Photo by Wang Xi

China News Agency reporter: What are the major projects and advantages of China-Africa scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation?

Ekuska:

The Square Kilometer Array Radio Telescope (SKA) is a large scientific project of the Synthetic Aperture Radio Telescope Array jointly built by more than ten countries around the world.

South Africa has become one of the two sites of SKA in the world due to its unique geography, climate conditions and related scientific and technological foundation.

China is one of the founding members of SKA. It not only has the world's largest single-aperture radio telescope - the 500-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), but also has considerable strength in the development and production of SKA antennas.

Therefore, SKA has become a major project of scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation between Africa and China, and the two sides will carry out more cooperation in scientific research in related fields in the future.

　　The China-Aid Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention Headquarters Project of the African Union is not only a health project, but also a major scientific and technological exchange and cooperation project. It started construction on December 14, 2020. Action" to speed up the construction of Africa-China friendship hospitals and the cooperation between Africa-China counterpart hospitals to jointly build a China-Africa health community.

　　Agriculture is another pillar of cooperation between the two sides.

From 1960 to 2010, China completed more than 200 agricultural aid projects in Africa.

China has rich experience in agricultural production and food security and can provide a lot of help to Africa.

For example, the rice production of the Mbarali Farm in Tanzania once accounted for about a quarter of Tanzania's domestic rice production, providing important support for its national food security.

African reporters walked into the Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Center to learn about Chinese hybrid rice.

Photo by Yang Huafeng

China News Agency reporter: What is the effect and significance of China-Africa scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation?

Ekuska:

Africa-China scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation have played an important role in solving major challenges such as health and food security in Africa.

　　In March 2014, an Ebola hemorrhagic fever outbreak was discovered and confirmed in West Africa.

After the outbreak, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention promptly launched an emergency response.

As of March 5, 2015, a total of 13 batches of 102 person-times have been sent to West Africa to fight against the Ebola hemorrhagic fever epidemic.

The large number of people dispatched, the long duration, and the wide coverage of the aid to Africa have been highly praised by the governments and people of the recipient countries and the international community.

　　Madagascar has one of the largest rice-irrigated areas among African countries and was once known as the "granary of the Indian Ocean". However, due to backward rice planting technology, Madagascar cannot be self-sufficient in food.

In 2007, Malaysia and China began to cooperate in hybrid rice technology. Chinese technicians promoted and planted more than 50,000 hectares of hybrid rice in Madagascar, with an average rice yield of 7.5 tons per hectare.

Now, Madagascar is the African country with the largest hybrid rice planting area and the highest yield. It is also the first African country to realize the entire industrial chain of hybrid rice breeding, seed production, planting, processing and sales.

　　Last year, the Chinese Embassy in South Africa held an event called "Tiangong Dialogue - Questions and Answers between Shenzhou 14 Space Crew and African Youth", which left a deep impression on me.

The form of this activity is very open and novel, which has deepened the mutual understanding between the two parties in the field of science and technology, and stimulated the interest of young people in South Africa and even Africa in aerospace science.

　　It can be said that Africa and China have jointly embarked on a road of win-win cooperation with distinctive characteristics, and the scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation between the two sides are of great significance.

African media people came to inspect a manor in Qingdao, Shandong.

Photo by Yu Fangping

China News Agency reporter: How do you view the questioning of "new colonialism" in the process of China-Africa scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation?

Where is the future direction of the two sides?

Ikuska:

"Neo-colonialism" is nonsense. China did not colonize Africa.

China understands why Africa should be respected.

　　In the case of technology, a set of facts speaks for itself.

China has no strings attached in its cooperation and exchanges with Africa, and has provided strong support for Africa to get rid of poverty and achieve development.

For example, China's Juncao technology has now blossomed and borne fruit on the African continent, becoming one of the keys to prosperity for the African people.

　　The scientific and technological cooperation between Africa and China is getting closer, and the forms of cooperation are diverse in fields such as agriculture, biology, medicine and health, and information and communication.

In recent years, under the guidance of the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, Africa-China scientific and technological cooperation research has become more and more vigorous, and new mechanisms for Africa-China scientific and technological cooperation and exchanges are constantly being established.

In September 2018, the Beijing Summit Roundtable of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Photo by Sheng Jiapeng

　　Of course, there are certain shortcomings in the exchanges and cooperation between the two sides in the field of science and technology.

For example, due to relatively lagging behind in economic and social development, Africa is not attractive to scientific and technological personnel; secondly, the scope of cooperation is relatively narrow, and exchanges and cooperation in high-tech fields are relatively rare; thirdly, the relatively turbulent social conditions in Africa make some African-Chinese Scientific and technological exchange and cooperation projects are unsustainable.

　　In my opinion, in the future, the focus of scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation between Africa and China will focus on eradicating poverty and hunger and ensuring food security, preventing and controlling infectious diseases, information communication and digital economy, resource and environmental protection, addressing climate change and energy crisis, humanities communication and capacity building.

(over)

Respondent profile:

　　Orusgen Oyebad Ekuska, a professor at Fort Hale University in South Africa, a well-known scientist, and a Ph.D. in zoology. In recent years, he has focused on exchanges and cooperation in the field of science and technology between China and Africa.