During the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), CGTN Africa launched a five-episode mini-documentary series titled My China Story. The series documented developments in China-Africa cultural exchanges, outlining the bilateral frameworks that have contributed to China becoming a major destination for African students pursuing higher education.
The inaugural season featured diverse voices: a Somali doctor, a Zambian transportation expert, an official from the Kenya Bureau of Standards, a Zimbabwean Chinese-language teacher, and a Kenyan entomologist. Through authentic personal narratives, these interviewees revealed how their education and life experiences in China had profound, positive impacts, not only on their personal growth but also professionally and on the communities, they serve back home.
Following the series’ release, the warm reception and enthusiastic feedback from African audiences online have inspired a continuation of the project. As 2026 approaches, marking both the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and African countries and the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, we are expanding our search for new guests and fresh stories across the continent.
For Season 2 of the My China Story series, the lens will shift to “Change Makers”—leading figures across various industries. We aim to document their journeys of collaboration, professional growth, and shared development with China.
By the time this article is published, China will be gearing up to hold the annual “Two Sessions,” a major political event that sets the tone for the country’s latest policy agenda. This year also marks the start of the government’s 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development.
Beyond focusing solely on GDP growth, the new blueprint highlights structural economic improvement and upgrading, as well as the development of new productive forces. The plan also mentions high-quality development, technological self-reliance, green transition, and high-standard opening up as part of its broader framework.
Notably, the 15th Five-Year Plan is not merely a domestic framework. It also aims to promote the high-quality joint development of the Belt and Road Initiative by strengthening strategic alignment with participating countries and enhancing the overall coordination and management of cooperation planning.
At the same time, the plan seeks to deepen practical cooperation in trade, investment, industry, and people-to-people exchange, while expanding collaboration in areas such as green development, artificial intelligence, and the digital economy.
Recent reporting points to tangible examples of such cooperation, particularly in the energy transition. The Chinese-built Sosian Menengai Geothermal Power Project in Kenya’s Great Rift Valley is at the forefront of the country’s push to deliver clean, affordable energy. As the first independent power producer to generate electricity in Kenya under a public–private partnership framework, it serves as a model for projects helping accelerate the country’s shift away from fossil fuels.
The Menengai project vividly illustrates the resonance between China’s new quality productive forces and Africa’s green development vision.
Yet, behind this macro-narrative of cooperation stand countless individuals working diligently across sectors in both regions.
As Season 1 of My China Story documented how the seeds of friendship were planted, in 2026, we hope to witness how those seeds have grown into towering trees. We seek to highlight the “Change Makers” transforming their industries.
Whether you are an engineer driving the energy transition, an entrepreneur boosting trade connectivity, or a scholar fostering cultural exchange, your experience is an indispensable part of this story.
We invite you to share your journey so that, together, we may document the inspiring transformations unfolding within the China-Africa community.
By CGTN Africa editor Bai Shuang
