Madagascar's President Andry Nirina Rajoelina has called for more agricultural cooperation with China, saying the two countries will set an example for China-Africa cooperation.
In an interview with the China Central Television (CCTV) after attending the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in September, Rajoelina shared his plan on expanding cooperation with China.
"Madagascar is Africa's largest island. When you browse the world map and take a closer look at Africa, Madagascar, as the largest island in southwestern Africa, cannot be overlooked. Its location is of great strategic significance. We urgently need to promote multiple cooperation projects, especially in the fields of agriculture and agricultural transition. Madagascar will play a demonstrative role in China-Africa cooperation," Rajoelina said.
As the world's fourth largest island, Madagascar is one of the world's prime biodiversity hotspots and approximately 90 percent of its plant and animal species are endemic, including its lemurs and baobab trees.
China and Madagascar established diplomatic ties in 1972. On September 6 this year, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Rajoelina in Beijing. The two leaders announced the elevation of bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.
Madagascar was one of the first African countries to sign a Belt and Road cooperation document with China and one of the founding countries of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.
Madagascar to play demonstrative role in China-Africa cooperation: president
As China's expanding influence in Africa drives growing interest in its culture and language, Tanzania--whose largest trading partner is China--has begun introducing Chinese language courses as early as the primary school level.
In Tanzanian schools, the sight of students learning Chinese is becoming increasingly common. The Confucius Institute, which provides a range of Chinese language programs and scholarships, reports that interest in learning Mandarin among Tanzanians is rising.
According to the Chinese Embassy in Dar es Salaam, approximately 20,000 students are currently enrolled in Chinese language courses across various institutions in Tanzania, with the majority attending higher education institutions.
However, last year, the government introduced Mandarin as a subject at lower levels of education -- a move that has been met with great enthusiasm by many.
"Our school obviously is the first school to concentrate much on Chinese lessons, and most of the parents, they are appreciating [this approach], and they use it to admit their pupils [children] in our school. We started [offering Chinese lessons] for a short period of time, but we have a large number of pupils [students]," said Jane Shao, headmistress of Longquan Bodhi Primary School.
Zhang Xiaozhen, director of Chinese Studies at the Confucius Institute in Dar es Salaam, emphasized the importance of language learning in fostering understanding and strengthening ties between cultures.
"Language is a tool to help each other to understand each other. So, we hope that primary school students, by learning Chinese, that they can understand Chinese. And also, we Chinese people, we also need to learn Swahili so that we can understand each other and strengthen the relationship between our two countries," said Zhang.
The next step in this significant financial initiative could involve establishing primary and secondary schools where all subjects are taught in Chinese, with the aim of equipping young Tanzanians with new skills, access to technology, and business opportunities, thereby fostering stronger relations between the two countries for years to come.
Tanzania introduces Chinese language in primary schools amid growing ties with China
