As the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges unfolds, city leaders from across Africa have underscored the critical role of city-level cooperation in deepening China-Africa relations, emphasizing that people-to-people exchanges, particularly among young people, are vital to the long-term development of China-Africa friendship.

The remarks were made at the 2026 Global Mayors Dialogue in Beijing on Wednesday. The event, themed "Enhance Cultural Exchange and Mutual Learning; Inherit the Time-Honored Friendship Between China and Africa", brought together city leaders from African nations to discuss ways to expand practical cooperation and jointly advance modernization.

El Hadji Saer Faye, deputy mayor of Ziguinchor, Senegal, highlighted the crucial role of local governments in implementing China-Africa cooperation. He said local governments should serve as ambassadors of China-Africa friendship because it is in cities where people experience the tangible benefits of such cooperation in their daily lives.

Faye said African cities could learn from China's expertise in urban planning, transportation, industrial development and poverty alleviation efforts. Chinese cities, meanwhile, could draw inspiration from Africa's experiences in community resilience, social cohesion and local innovation.

According to the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, 187 sister-city relationships were established between China and African nations as of April.

Josy Michaud-Payet, mayor of Victoria, Seychelles, said her city has established sister-city ties with many Chinese cities and stands as "living proof" of the benefits of such relationships.

City-level connections "create a vast platform for small countries like us to benefit from exchanges of all the experiences from cities around the world", she said. "We have benefited a lot from China in terms of infrastructure, culture and education."

Khalid El Fataoui, a member of the Marrakech city council and head of international cooperation, cited the two-decade friendship between Marrakech and Ningbo, Zhejiang province, as an example of how city-to-city cooperation can strengthen China-Africa ties.

He said cooperation between cities helps ensure that agreements reached at the national level are effectively implemented. City-level exchanges also facilitate mutual learning and help address practical challenges such as transportation and sustainable development.

Beyond government cooperation, El Fataoui emphasized the importance of people-to-people ties and cultural exchanges. He identified language barriers as a major obstacle to communication between Chinese and African people and called for greater efforts to promote language learning on both sides. He also urged more frequent exchanges among universities and young people.

According to the Confucius Institute website, Africa was home to 67 Confucius Institutes as of the end of 2023. Meanwhile, Chinese universities offer language programs in more than 20 native African languages.

This year has been designated as the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges. Key priorities include strengthening mutual learning among civilizations, expanding people-to-people exchanges — especially among young people — and deepening exchanges of governance experience.

Yang Cheng contributed to this story.