On January 15, the College of Geography and Environmental Sciences (CGES) held a seminar on the discipline of African geography. Professor Liu Hongwu, a Changjiang scholar and dean of the Institute of African Studies at Zhejiang Normal University (IASZNU), was invited to give a lecture on the promotion of African geography studies. Professor Zhang Jianzhen, director of the African Geography Research Center of the Geographical Society of China and secretary of the Party Committee of CGES, presided over the seminar. More than 20 people from African geography research groups attended the seminar, including Wu Yongqiu, an outstanding professor of CGES.

Professor Liu pointed out that with the further implementation of proposals such as Belt and Road initiative, China-Africa cooperation is moving forward in various fields. Particularly, the cooperation of transportation infrastructure and agriculture involves the diverse and complex geography of various African countries, which increases the demand for talent cultivation and training in science and technology, nature, geography, and the environment. (Translated by Li Ziyi, edited by Kendra Fiddler)