Members of the African Consular Corps in Guangzhou visit the Guangdong Technician College of Light Industry in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, southern China, on July 2, 2026.
Officials from 11 African consulates general in Guangzhou visited a vocational college in Guangdong on July 2 to learn about the province's approach to technical education and discuss how skills training could support expanding industrial cooperation between China and Africa.
The delegation of 22 diplomats toured the Zengcheng campus of Guangdong Technician College of Light Industry, where they observed training programs in new energy vehicle technology, intelligent manufacturing, visual merchandising, and fashion design under the college's industry-linked education model. They also joined a session on industrial cooperation and talent development.
The event was jointly hosted by the Guangdong Foreign Affairs Office and the province's Department of Human Resources and Social Security, and organized by the Guangdong Technician College of Light Industry.
A representative of the Guangdong Technician College of Light Industry explains a hands-on training course to members of the African Consular Corps in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, southern China, on July 2, 2026.
The visit comes as China and Africa mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations and the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges. It also follows the May 1 implementation of China's zero-tariff treatment for imports from all 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic relations.
Speaking at the session, He Rusheng, deputy director-general of the Guangdong Foreign Affairs Office, said China has remained Africa's largest trading partner for the 17th consecutive year.
Guangdong, China's largest provincial economy, continues to play an important role in China-Africa economic ties, with its trade with African countries exceeding 300 billion yuan in 2025, up 10.7% year on year, he said.
Adama Dieye, consul general of Senegal in Guangzhou, said Guangdong's vocational education system offers valuable experience for African countries seeking to develop a skilled workforce.
Guangdong has more than 600 vocational education institutions serving over three million students, he said, making it one of the largest vocational education systems in China.
Dieye noted that Africa's working-age population is expected to double by 2050, while only about three million formal jobs are created each year, far short of demand for roughly 12 million. He said the gap underscored the need for greater investment in education and workforce development aligned with labor market needs.
He cited the RTI-GRP Railway Engineering Technology College as an example of China-Africa cooperation in technical education and called for expanded collaboration through scholarships, joint research, and teacher training.
China has expanded vocational education partnerships across Africa in recent years and established 24 Luban Workshops in 15 African countries. The workshops offer training in areas such as industrial automation and electrical engineering, and have trained tens of thousands of professionals according to Chinese authorities.
Guangdong Technician College of Light Industry also introduced its vocational training programs and international partnerships.
Yue Xiangqian, secretary of the college's Committee of the Communist Party of China, said the institution has expanded vocational training partnerships with Belt and Road partner countries, including Malaysia and Angola, covering fields such as beauty therapy, electromechanical engineering, and culinary arts.
According to Yue, the programs support partner institutions in developing standardized training systems and quality assessment mechanisms to strengthen their vocational education capacity.
For example, Yue said the college provided pre-competition training for Malaysia's Beauty Therapy competitor ahead of the 47th WorldSkills Competition. The competitor later won a bronze medal, Malaysia's best-ever result at the competition.
Chen Xing, general manager of Haitian Education, a subsidiary of Haitian Group, introduced the company's "Future Africa" Joint Applied Talent Development Program, which recruits African students for applied master's and bachelor's degree programs in China.
Chen said the program combines academic study with industry internships and is designed to connect graduates with employment opportunities in their home countries after graduation.
Beyond vocational education, Liu Jisen, executive president of the Institute for African Studies at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, said China's zero-tariff treatment could further strengthen Africa's industrial development by creating new opportunities for trade and investment.
Liu said the policy would make African exports more competitive in the Chinese market and encourage manufacturers to upgrade production and move into higher-value processing—it would also create more jobs. Stable access to China's vast consumer market, he added, could also help attract investment and support Africa's broader industrialization.
Wina Simweetwa Muchindu, deputy consul general of Zambia in Guangzhou, said vocational education and skills training would be essential if African countries were to make full use of the new trade opportunities created by zero tariffs.
"Zero tariffs are an invitation," he said, adding that African countries now needed to turn market access into stronger products, local brands, and skilled talent.
He called for closer cooperation in technical and vocational education, university partnerships, internships, and skills exchanges, saying people and skills are the foundation of long-term China-Africa industrial cooperation.
Reporter & Author | Liu Xiaodi, Fu Rong (intern)
Photo | Fu Rong (intern)
