The Global South Media and Think Tank Forum China-Africa Partnership Conference opened on Nov 13 in Johannesburg, South Africa, to discuss ways to strengthen global governance and deepen China-Africa cooperation.
More than 200 representatives from over 160 mainstream media outlets, think tanks, government departments, and other institutions from China and 41 African countries, as well as from the African Union, gathered to engage in in-depth exchanges on the theme Reform of the Global Governance System: New Roles and Missions of China-Africa Cooperation.
Zhejiang International Communication Center (ZICC) was invited to attend the event. Ubuntu AI intelligent application for African regional and country studies, jointly developed by the Institute of African Studies at Zhejiang Normal University and ZICC, made its debut in South Africa and was highly appreciated by the participants.
During the forum, representatives exchanged views on three key topics: “China-Africa Responsibility in Global Governance Reform” “China-Africa Actions in Global South Revitalization” and “China-Africa Integration in Global Civilizational Coexistence”, Leslie Richer, director of Information and Communication at African Union, said that the current international order is undergoing profound changes and it is essential to further strengthen cooperation between African and Chinese media and think tanks to jointly shape a more balanced discourse system, contributing to the building of an inclusive, equal and sustainable world through unity and collaboration.
Liu Hongwu, director of the Institute of African Studies at Zhejiang Normal University and a specially appointed expert at ZICC, delivered a speech at the opening ceremony. He said that global governance requires wisdom from the Global South, from Africa, and from both China and Africa. Reflecting on his experiences in China-Africa exchanges at the Institute of African Studies, he recommended continuing to strengthen the construction of cooperation platforms between Chinese and African media and think tanks, expanding communication channels, and jointly shaping the discourse system.
He emphasized the importance of telling each other’s stories in mutually understandable language to provide high-quality knowledge products for the rise and common interests of the Global South.
As promoters of solidarity and collaboration in the Global South, media and think tanks from Zhejiang are playing an increasingly important bridging role. ZICC’s predecessor, overseas edition of Zhejiang Daily, established cooperation with African media outlets such as African Times as early as 2000, committed to telling the story of China-Africa interactions.
After its establishment, ZICC successively built partnerships with dozens of African media outlets and institutions, including the Kenya Editors’ Guild, and set up its first overseas liaison stations in Egypt and South Africa.
Additionally, ZICC and the Institute of African Studies at Zhejiang Normal University have collaborated on content and technology.
The birth of Ubuntu AI is an innovative practice of their active participation in China-Africa cultural exchanges and cooperation, leveraging technology to empower China-Africa collaboration.
It is also a key achievement incubated by the International Communication Laboratory of the Zhejiang Daily Media Group’s Converged Media Innovation Hub.
The application launched an upgraded version during the 2025 China-Africa Internet Development and Cooperation Forum in Xiamen, China, providing a new platform for China-Africa digital cooperation.
During the exchange session of the conference, Ubuntu AI intelligent application attracted widespread attention from participants. After trying it out, they expressed that the platform, supported by artificial intelligence technology, integrates multilingual news updates, think tank research outcomes, cultural knowledge bases, and policy analysis tools, creating an intelligent system that combines information aggregation, knowledge generation, and decision-making support.
It has become a digital bridge promoting knowledge sharing and mutual learning between Chinese and African civilizations.
Gert Grobler, a former senior South African diplomat and one of the core drafters of the China-Africa Dar es Salaam Consensus, expressed after trying Ubuntu AI that this innovative application will serve as a catalyst for advancing China-Africa relations.
The name Ubuntu AI is derived from the core concept of the African Ubuntu philosophy—”I am because we are”—which profoundly illustrates the pursuit of symbiotic prosperity and highly aligns with the Chinese vision of building a community with a shared future in cyberspace.
The platform consistently adheres to international and open principles, supports multilingual intelligent interaction, and targets Chinese and African think tanks, media outlets, research institutions, and corporate users.
“Your choice is very clever. ‘Ubuntu’ is a beautiful name that allows us to feel the unity of the African people,” said Peter Kagwanja, director of the Africa Policy Institute in Kenya, expressing confidence that the application will enable more people to gain a deeper understanding of the African continent.
As China’s first intelligent application for African regional and country studies co-built by a media organization and a university think tank, Ubuntu AI is gradually becoming a comprehensive, authoritative, and responsive knowledge platform on Africa.
It provides robust technical support for deepening China-Africa mutual trust, promoting civilizational dialogue, and advancing the global governance system toward greater fairness and inclusiveness.
It is worth mentioning that during the conference, Ubuntu AI intelligent application further expanded its database, with African Times’ media database successfully integrated. These authoritative sources rooted in Africa have significantly enriched the platform’s original database.
The forum released a think tank report titled Building “New Global Leadership”—A Joint Action for a More Just and Reasonable Global Governance System and launched the Global South Media Think Tank Cooperation and Communication Partnership Network, along with the Unity, Shared Path, Shared Journey—2026 China-Africa Partnership Empowerment Action Plan.
In the future, ZICC will work alongside the Institute of African Studies at Zhejiang Normal University, leveraging the Ubuntu AI intelligent application to jointly contribute to the construction of China-Africa knowledge systems and the enhancement of discourse power, offering wisdom and solutions for promoting the reform of the Global South governance system.