The Kunming Declaration of China-Africa Think Tanks on Jointly Promoting Exchanges of Experience in Modernization

　　Modernization is a common dream that the people of China and Africa are striving for, and it is also the legitimate right of developing countries, including China and Africa. Facing a world fraught with changes and turbulence, the questions of how to achieve modernization and what kind of modernization to achieve remain enduring challenges for countries in the global South. On September 5, 2024, in his keynote address at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed that China and Africa should join hands to advance modernization in six aspects, drawing a blueprint for building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era, and providing important answers to the call of advancing human modernization. In light of this, representatives of the 14th Meeting of the China-Africa Think Tank Forum, held in Kunming, China, have reached a consensus in deepening exchanges of governance experience between China and Africa and promoting the alignment of Chinese modernization with Africa’s independent development, providing new impetus to the modernization of the Global South.

1. China-Africa Think Tanks have been continuously deepening their scientific understanding of the connotations and pathways to modernization

　　Modernization is an inevitable direction for the development of human society, and achieving modernization is a common goal of all countries. The diversity of civilizations is an important feature of human society; therefore, modernization should reflect both global trends and local realities. It should be characterized by diversity and localization, with multiple paradigms. When a country moves towards modernization, it should not only follow the general principles but also tailor the approach to its national conditions and unique characteristics. Western modernization represents only one dimension of humanity’s exploration of modernization, instead of all dimensions. Every country can enrich the connotation and practice of human modernization. Think tanks of Africa and China believe that the success of Chinese modernization has demonstrated that the Western model is not the only path to modernization, and every civilization can pursue modernization in line with their national conditions.

2. China-Africa Think Tanks continue to strengthen their awareness and confidence in pursuing independent development and exploration

　　The development path chosen by any country is closely related to its unique historical and practical characteristics, and success can never be achieved by completely replicating the development path of others. Each country should explore its own path to modernization based on its specific political, economic, social, cultural, and historical context. The key to the success of Chinese modernization lies in China’s ability to pursue independent exploration based on its national conditions, thereby forging a distinctive development path tailored to its own history, culture, and realities. Think tanks of Africa and China believe that breaking blind faith in the Western model is an important prerequisite for enabling China and Africa to pursue their own path to modernization.

3. China-Africa Think Tanks highly agree that Chinese modernization provides reference and insights for Africa’s transformation and development

　　Chinese modernization strongly demonstrates and scientifically affirms the possibility of realizing modernization independently, without adopting Western models or shifting development costs to other countries. Chinese modernization, characterized by a huge population, common prosperity for all, material and cultural-ethical advancement, harmony between humanity and nature, and peaceful development, closely aligns with the characteristics and needs of Africa’s current development. China-Africa Think tanks agree that Chinese modernization dispels the myth that “modernization is equal to Westernization,” presents another picture of modernization, expands the channels for developing countries to achieve modernization, and provides a Chinese solution to aid the exploration of a better social system for humanity. Chinese modernization can provide experience, solutions, and wisdom for Africa in the areas of political reform, economic development, ecological protection, ethnic unity, security governance, and beyond.

4. China-Africa Think Tanks actively promote exchanges of governance experience to jointly advance modernization

　　The advancement of modernization in six aspects proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the FOCAC Beijing Summit have provided scientific guidance and rich topics for exchanges of governance experience between China and Africa. Chinese and African think tanks have great potential to share governance experience and jointly advance modernization of both sides. China-Africa Think Tanks call for intensified efforts to deepen cooperation, and strengthen the exchange and mutual learning of academic, disciplinary, and discourse systems. They also emphasize the need to objectively, comprehensively, and accurately articulate the scientific and progressive nature of China-Africa mutually beneficial cooperation in the new era from a theoretical perspective. Furthermore, they advocate for the effective integration of China’s governance achievements and innovations in the new era with Africa’s experiences and reflections on independent development, thereby providing a theoretical foundation for their joint efforts for common development.

5. China-Africa Think Tanks will jointly paint a promising picture for the modernization of the Global South driven by China-Africa cooperation

　　This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Bandung Conference. The friendship and cooperation between China and Africa have withstood the test of both history and reality. As the world’s largest developing country and the continent with the highest number of developing countries, China and Africa are natural and important members of the Global South. There will be no global modernization without the modernization of China and Africa. China-Africa Think Tanks believe that by joining hands to advance modernization, China and Africa will not only provide a more attractive and reasonable modernization framework for the Global South, but also create broad opportunities for the development of other developing countries, paving the boulevard towards modernization for the Global South.

6. China-Africa Think Tanks call for creating an international environment of peace, development, and cooperation to achieve human modernization

　　The world is facing unprecedented changes unseen in a century, and countries of the global South, including those in China and Africa, stand in a critical historical period of achieving modernization. Maintaining modernization requires a fair and equitable international order and rules. China-Africa Think Tanks strongly oppose unilateralism and bullying practices, and jointly advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world and universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.

By all representatives of the 14th Meeting of the China-Africa Think Tank Forum

May 20, 2025, Kunming, China

Source: China-Africa Think Tank Forum