Future plans

The session mapped out a three-year action plan on promoting people-to-people connectivity throughout the Belt and Road. The plan gives special attention to non-governmental organizations (NGOS) through the establishment of the Silk Road NGO Cooperation Network. Supported by the China NGO Network for International Exchanges (CNIE), the network has secured the participation of 160 Chinese and foreign NGOS.

“In the future, CNIE will optimize resources and strengthen contacts with foreign NGOS and think tanks to encourage more talents from non-governmental sectors to contribute to the initiative,” Zhu Rui, Secretary General of CNIE, said at the session.

Members of the network will regularly share cooperation needs and approaches to deepen exchanges through reciprocal visits, seminars and workshops. It will also support NGOS in initiating voluntary cooperation programs in education, healthcare and livelihood improvement plans in an effort to deepen understanding and build trust among participating nations.

These efforts will be beefed up by the Chinese Government with additional people-to-people exchange programs.

Ding Wei, Vice Minister of Culture, said before the forum that China’s cultural exchange programs with countries participating in the initiative will involve 30,000 people and 1,000 institutions over the next three years. Meanwhile, another 13 Chinese cultural centers will be established abroad. China will also launch a national Silk Road scholarship program to assist 10,000 students annually studying in China.

“It is cross-cultural interaction that brings us to reach a common point and help each other fit in locally,” Oni said. He hopes that with such programs in place, people-to-people exchanges between China and Africa will be scaled up to cover more people and more areas. Comments to houweili@chinafrica.cn