China and African countries have conducted fruitful cooperation in both educational and cultural fields over the past decades, which has greatly deepened mutual understanding and friendship between China and Africa.

According to the Ministry of Education, since the early 1950s, China has carried out 36 educational assistance projects in 19 African countries and enrolled 5,582 African students to Chinese universities by 1999.

Meanwhile, 10 major Chinese universities have established contacts with universities in 16 African countries, and quite a number of Chinese teachers and students have been sent to African countries either for further education or to assist in local education institutions.

In the early 90s, China accepted more African students seeking doctorates or post-graduate degrees and relatively cut down on the number for bachelor's degree. Therefore, in 1999, African students taking doctoral and post-graduate courses accounted for 48 percent of the total number of foreign students studying in China.

The 5,000 African students who have finished their studies in China are playing an active role in the national construction of their respective countries, according to the Education Ministry.

China's cultural exchange with Africa began in 1955 when China signed an agreement of cultural cooperation with Egypt. So far, China has singed bilateral cultural exchange agreements with 45 African countries, and more than 200 government cultural delegations have been sent mutually.

In the past decade, more than 100 art troupes have exchanged visits and over 100 exhibitions have been organized through exchange.

Officials with the Ministry of Culture expressed the conviction that Sino-African cultural exchanges would be further reinforced in both width and depth in the future.

(People’s Daily 10/02/2000)