Inter Region Economic Network (IREN) in collaboration with the Chinese Embassy in Nairobi hosts high level scholars from across Africa and China to brainstorm on China-Africa relations on August 9, 2012, under the framework of China – Africa Joint Research and Exchange Program.

Theme: The Path to the Sustainable Development of China – Africa Relations

Venue:  Crown Plaza Hotel, Nairobi.

The seminar will

•Identify win-win strategies for China - Africa Cooperation in Economy, Trade and Development
•Evaluate the China - Africa Cooperation in Peace and Security
•Discuss the benefits and challenges of Cultural and People-to-People Exchanges and
• Identify key strategies to implement the outcome of the 5th FOCAC Ministerial Conference

China and Africa have enjoyed a friendship spanning several centuries. In recent years, China has deepened its cooperation with Africa in political, economic and cultural areas through the creation of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

China – Africa joint Research and Exchange Programme is one of the eight measures launched by the Chinese government at the 4th Ministerial Conference of the forum on China – Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in 2009. It supports the exchange and cooperation between Chinese and African academic institutions with a view to further strengthening research on China – Africa relations and African affairs, providing advice and suggestions for the development of Africa and the in-depth growth of China – Africa cooperation from a more objective and comprehensive perspective.

Represented during the launch of the China-Africa Joint Research and Exchange Program and Academic Conference on Peace and Development in Africa and China Africa Cooperation held in Beijing in March, 2010, IREN was nominated to serve on the Provisional Steering Group (PSG) that organized and hosted the first conference in Africa with the theme Towards a New Africa-China Partnership in March, 2011, in Nairobi.

IREN has hosted a number of Sino – Africa brainstorming forums jointly with the China Institute of Contemporary Relations (CICIR) in December 2010; Shanghai Institute for International Studies (SIIS) in January 2011; WWF – Africa in May 2012 and China Institute of International Studies (CIIS) in June 2012.