Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has wrapped up a four-nation tour to the African continent. The trip took him to Egypt, Tunisia, Togo, and Cote d' lvoire.

What were the highlights of Foreign Minister Wang Yi' s African trip? What will be the main focus of China-Africa cooperation this year? How will China adapt its strategies to align with Africa’s evolving development goals and priorities?

Host Zhao Ying is joined by Dr. Karim Ben Kahla, Professor of Governance at Tunis High School of Commerce; Hannah Ryder, CEO of Development Reimagined; and Dr. He Wenping, Africa expert and Senior Research Fellow at Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Panel: What does the future hold for China-Africa ties?

With in-depth panel discussions on domestic and global news and current affairs, World Today gives you the story behind the headlines.

News

①Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun has called for peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific in his speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. What are the details? (00:53) ②South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has admitted his African National Congress party suffered a challenging election result.(15:56) ③Opec+ members have agreed to extend oil production cuts well into 2025.(25:30) ④China's Chang'e-6 probe has touched down on the far side of the moon to collect samples from this rarely explored terrain. What is Chang'e-6's main mission? (36:00) ⑤Chinese holidaymakers will spend a record 6.8 trillion yuan, or about 937 billion U.S. dollars, on domestic travel this year.(45:30)

What did China's defense minister say at the Shangri-La Dialogue?

China and Arab states have wrapped up a major forum in Beijing in a sign of deepening cooperation. 

What factors are driving the deepening ties between China and Arab states? How can they work together towards a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, as well as a more equitable, multipolar world order?

Host Zhao Ying is joined by Zhang Chuchu, Deputy Director, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Fudan University; Steven Wright, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Hamad Bin Khalifa University; Mher Sahakyan, Director of "China-Eurasia" Council for Political and Strategic Research, Armenia; and Timothy Niblock, Emeritus Professor of Middle East Politics, Institute for Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter.

Panel: What's behind the deepening ties between China and the Arab world?

① Xi Jinping has proposed five cooperation frameworks to step up the building of a China-Arab community with a shared future. What is drawing the two sides closer? (00:51) 
② Liu Jianchao, a senior official of the Communist Party of China, is on a visit to Japan, with resuming ruling party talks being at stake. (14:20) 
③ We look at possible central issues at this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. (25:27) 
④ Why does Thailand aim to become a BRICS member? (35:42)
⑤ Will the ruling ANC fail to win majority in South Africa’s election? (44:15)

How can China and Japan foster an objective mutual understanding?

① In a recent session of senior CPC officials, Xi Jinping stressed youth employment and said that full employment is a priority goal for social and economic development. What are the opportunities and challenges in China’s job market? (00:50) 
② We take a look at a new report released by the Chinese government on human rights violations in the US in 2023. (14:40) 
③ We explore why the US is not in a leading position in the EV sector. (24:44) 
④ A former intelligence chief will lead a right-wing coalition in Netherlands. What could be the new government’s policy directions? (34:51)
⑤ We look at Haiti’s political process where its transitional council has tapped a former prime minister to lead the country again. (42:06)

Xi Jinping’s emphasis on employment in policy priority

① Member states of the World Health Organization have decided not to invite Taiwan to the organization's annual assembly in Geneva. Who is politicizing a health issue to advance their own agenda? (00:54) 
② A decade after China launched the first phase of its semiconductor investment fund, the investment vehicle is now officially into its third phase. We discuss China’s goals on semiconductor. (13:02) 
③ What was behind the rise in China's industrial profit in April? (24:57) 
④ Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi is in China to mark a decade of strategic partnership. (33:49)
⑤ The UN Security Council is holding an emergency meeting to discuss the situation in Rafah after a deadly Israeli airstrike killed 45 Palestinians sheltering in a refugee camp. Are there still means to rein in Israel? (45:16)

Panel: What does the future hold for China-Africa ties?

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