The China-Africa Trade Union Leaders Seminar, held in Beijing, China, from 26th October to 2nd November 2025, brought renewed focus to how Africa can draw from China’s experience in modernisation and labour development to build stronger, more inclusive trade unions.
Organised by the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) under the theme “Sharing Chinese Modernisation Experience to Jointly Build a China-Africa Community with a Shared Future,” the seminar formed a key part of the Organisation of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU) delegation’s official visit to China.
Participants included representatives from Portuguese-speaking countries such as Cape Verde, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea Bissau, and Sao Tome and Principe, alongside an OATUU delegation led by Secretary-General, Mr. Arezki Mezhoud, and comprising Deputy Secretaries-General, Mr. Emmanuel Nzunda and Mr. Ibrahim Abrar Ibrahim, Trade Union Consultant, Mr. Khemraze Cunniah, and Communications Officer, Ms. Vanessa Benewaah Adade.
The seminar began with a speech from the Vice-Chairman of ACFTU, Mr. Wei Dichun. He shared the rationale behind the seminar and the theme and his hope that the exchange that would result from the seminar would lead to further progress and an enhanced relationship between China and Africa. He also expressed ACFTU’s commitment to helping African trade unions and the OATUU pursue growth and development. Taking the floor, OATUU Secretary-General, Mr. Arezki Mezhoud expressed his gratitude for the support shown to OATUU over the years. He expressed that this seminar was a timely one which exhibited that the China-Africa partnership was not one grounded in exploitation but in solidarity, development and a shared vision of progress.
The seminar featured three key sessions led by senior ACFTU officials. In the first, Vice Director-General of the ACFTU’s International Department, Mr. Li Feng, presented on “Chinese Modernisation and the China-Africa Community with a Shared Future,” outlining the pillars of modernisation — population-centred growth, common prosperity, environmental harmony, and the balance between material and spiritual advancement. He highlighted tangible outcomes of Sino-African cooperation such as roads, bridges, and hospitals, which serve as examples of joint progress.
In the second session, Director of the Policy Research Office of the ACFTU, Mr. Lai Jinjin reflected on “Lessons from a Century of Chinese Trade Union History and Current Priority Tasks,” marking the organisation’s 100th anniversary and underscoring policies built on legal compliance and reliance on the working class.
The final session, led by Vice Director-General of the Grassroots Organising Department, Ms. Qian Xin, focused on new forms of employment, examining the rise of platform-based work, its flexible nature, and the need to strengthen unionisation and worker protection in this evolving space.
In his closing remarks, OATUU Deputy Secretary-General in charge of Training and Education, Mr. Emmanuel Nzunda commended the ACFTU for its leadership and hospitality, emphasising that the lessons drawn from China’s experience would be contextualised to Africa’s diverse realities to strengthen trade unions and improve workers’ welfare across the continent.
