The CEO of AUDA-NEAD Nardos Bekele-Thomas Visits the ICC

Ma Shengrong (Right) and Nardos Bekele-Thomas(Left)

On 23 April 2026, Ms. Nardos Bekele-Thomas, Chief Executive Officer of African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEAD), led an AUDA delegation to the Jianguomen office of the International Cooperation Center (ICC). Mr. Ma Shengrong, Chief Expert of the ICC and former Vice President & Executive Vice Editor-in-Chief of Xinhua News Agency, and Mr. Zhang Yu, Convener of the Joint Meeting and Director of the Steering Committee of the ICC, met with Ms. Nardos Bekele-Thomas, Mr. Alhaji Sarjoh Bah, African Union (AU) Representative to China, and other delegation members. The two sides held in-depth talks on deepening high-level exchanges and strategic communication between China and the AU, advancing the alignment of the Global Development Initiative (GDI) with the AU’s Agenda 2063, implementing the 1.5-track long-term dialogue and consultation mechanism between the ICC and the AU Commission. In addition, both sides were strengthening coordination and collaboration in international and regional affairs. Both sides noted that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Africa, and the 23rd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the AU. As important members of the Global South, strengthened solidarity and cooperation between China and Africa will not only accelerate their respective modernization drives but also lead the modernization process of the Global South.

Headquarters Building of the AU 

The two sides emphasized that over the past 70 years, China-Africa friendship has stood the test of time and been passed down from generation to generation. Amidst a fluid and complex international landscape and accelerating changes unseen in a century, China and its African partners continue to draw strength from the spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation, advance side by side on the path to modernization, uphold justice amid global vicissitudes, set an example for development cooperation in the Global South, and jointly write a new chapter in building a community with a shared future for mankind. President Xi Jinping has sent congratulatory letters to the AU Summit for 14 consecutive years and announced new zero-tariff measures for Africa, fully demonstrating that China consistently places Africa as a priority in its diplomatic agenda. In recent years, the AU has united and led African countries in vigorously advancing regional integration, resolutely safeguarding Africa’s legitimate rights and interests, and continuously elevating its international standing and influence. The ICC will maintain close communication with the AU Representative Office in China, committed to enhancing the strategic, exemplary, and practical dimensions of China-AU relations. Guided by the overarching interests of China-AU and China-Africa relations, the two sides will conduct research on major bilateral strategic issues, hold high-level 1.5-track dialogues and consultations, deepen cooperation across all fields, and leverage their respective roles in strategic coordination for high-level bilateral exchanges. Through high-quality China-Africa cooperation, we will jointly advance modernization and build an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.

The Two Sides in Talks

The two sides also discussed other important matters. During the meeting, ICC and AUDA exchanged in-depth views and reached important consensus on the current international and regional situation, global governance and UN reform, the global development agenda, and the promotion of world peace and development. 

Attendees from the ICC included: Mr. Mu Dong, Special Envoy and Special Representative of Asia-Pacific Affairs; Ms. Zhu Hongshan, Special Representative of Economic Affairs; Ms. Cheng Yu, Executive Secretary-General; Mr. Zhang Bin, Deputy Director of the Hongkong, Maco, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese Working Affairs Committee; Mr. Wu Zhonglin, Executive Director of the Development Committee; and Mr. Xin Shaosong, Executive Deputy Director of the Secretariat Office. AUDA delegates included: Dr. Msingathi Sipuka, Chief of Staff; Mr. Amine Idriss Adoum, Director of Infrastructure; Prof. Bartholomew Kingsley Armah, Senior Economic Advisor; Dr. Ildephonse Musafiri, Senior Adviser on Food Systems; Mr. Ibrah Wahabou, Senior Programme Officer on Infrastructure and Transport; Mr. Simbini Tichakunda, Principal Programme Officer on Energy; Ms. Hawi Negese Bayisa, Programme Officer Support of Industrialization; Mr. Mustafa Sakr, Principal Programme Officer on Trade and Markets; Dr. Kudakwashe Dandajena, Principal Programme Officer of Technology Strategy; Ms. Mary Nyaga, Programme Officer of Skills Initiative for Africa (SIFA); Ms. Basisipho Jack, Special Assistant to the CEO; and Mr. Abdel Nasser Daoud Kinefour, Senior Programme Officer - Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME’s).

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The African Union (AU) is a continent-wide political entity integrating political, economic and military dimensions, with 55 member states. Headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, it succeeded the Organization of African Unity (OAU) founded in 1963. The AU was formally established on July 9, 2002, following the adoption of the Sirte Declaration in 1999. Its objectives are to advance Africa’s political and economic integration, safeguard peace and security, promote democracy, human rights and sustainable development, with the ultimate goal of establishing a “United States of Africa”. Core AU organs include the Assembly of Heads of State and Government (supreme decision-making body), the Executive Council, the AU Commission (permanent administrative organ), the Pan-African Parliament, and the Peace and Security Council. The current Chairperson of the AU is H.E. João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, President of Angola (assumed office in February 2025), and the Chairperson of the AU Commission is H.E. Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, former Foreign Minister of Djibouti (assumed office in March 2025).

In the 1950s and 1960s, the first-generation Chinese leaders, including Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, and older-generation African statesmen jointly ushered in a new era of China-Africa relations. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Africa. President Xi Jinping has sent congratulatory letters to the AU Summit for 14 consecutive years, fully demonstrating China’s great importance attached to developing relations with the AU.

The world today is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century. The Global South, represented by China and Africa, is thriving and profoundly shaping the course of world history. China and Africa account for one-third of the world’s total population. As the world’s largest developing country and the continent with the largest concentration of developing countries, China and Africa share a common history of opposing colonialism and hegemonism; futhermore a common mission of development and rejuvenation, making them natural members and a pillar of the Global South. China’s Foreign Minister has paid his first overseas visit to Africa for 36 consecutive years. On January 8, 2026, H.E. Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, held the 9th China-AU Strategic Dialogue with H.E. Youssouf at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, issuing the Joint Press Communiqué of the China-AU Strategic Dialogue.