Building a China-Africa Community with a Shared Future and Jointly Realizing the Right to Development

— A Review of the First China-Africa Human Rights Seminar

LI Yichao * & LI Zhaoying**

Abstract: On August 22, 2025, the first China-Africa Human Rights Seminar was held in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. With the theme of “Building a China-Africa Community with a Shared Future and Jointly Realizing the Right to Development,” the seminar emphasized that poverty eradication and development realization should always be placed at the core of the human rights agenda. More than 200 government officials, human rights scholars, think tank experts, business representatives, and media professionals from China and 44 African countries gathered for in-depth discussions on the theme of the seminar. Combining the practical experience of African countries and the exploration achievements of China in the field of development, especially the extensive experience of China-Africa cooperation, the participants discussed in depth the universal value and practical challenges of the right to development, and shared pathways and practices in poverty reduction, sustainable development, digital transformation, and global governance. Chinese and African participants agreed that the partnership, spirit of solidarity, and shared commitment underpinning the building of a China-Africa Community with a Shared Future are the core driving forces of human rights and development. In the future, China and Africa should continue to work hand in hand to translate the vision of “building a China-Africa Community with a Shared Future” into concrete actions, so as to achieve common development and progress.

Keywords: China-Africa community with a shared future · right to development · human rights governance · South-South cooperation · Belt and Road Initiative