Ben Saad Firas (right) at the closing ceremony of the 8th China-Africa Youth Festival in Jinhua, Zhejiang Province, on 26 May (HU FAN)

Wonderful, amazing, charming! These words aptly describe my first experience in China when I visited the country to attend the 8th China-Africa Youth Festival, held in Beijing and then Zhejiang Province on 19-26 May.  

The visit allowed me to discover China from different aspects: Chinese culture through experiencing Chinese cuisine and art, Chinese history through visits to the Great Wall and a number of museums, and so on. I was also awestruck by the urban infrastructure development, which gives a scintillating look to the cities.  

And I must not forget to mention the splendour of the hotels I stayed in all the cities included in this visit. Their high standards testify to the progress China is witnessing. 

But, as a Tunisian journalist covering cinema, the most interesting item on my itinerary was a visit to the film city, where I saw up close the filming locations. The high-level expertise and state-of-the-art facilities got me thinking that a strengthening of the Tunisia-China cooperation can provide precious opportunities to Tunisian actors and directors to discover this wonderful place. 

The film and TV industry has today become an important element of the economy, and the distinctive conditions for production reflect the high-quality evolution of Chinese cinema through the quality of images and sound effects and a doubling of the number of productions, ensuring that China ranks among the top in this field on the global level. 

The visits and discussions we had made me impressed by the development of China, which makes it an ideal model to follow on a global scale, and which inspires us young Africans to deepen exchanges with our Chinese peers. 

All participants of the festival affirmed that China-Africa cooperation is crucial for the development of Africa. This cooperation has especially benefitted sectors such as the green economy, health, education, railways and the fight against poverty. 

In addition, this event was an opportunity to share visions on improving cooperation and strengthening ties between China and Africa in the field of agriculture, attracting new Chinese investments into Africa and accelerating the green transition based on Africa’s rich human and natural resources. China’s technological development is astonishing, and Africa can benefit from its pioneering experience in various fields through cooperation. 

Ties with Tunisia  

Tunisia and China maintain historic relations and this year we celebrated the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Tunisia, which are manifested in the partnerships concluded between the two parties and the exchanges in all areas. I observed this within our establishment, Tunisian Television, which was invited to participate in numerous events in China, such as the 6th China-Arab States Broadcasting and Television Cooperation Forum held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, last December, where China demonstrated enormous progress and development in the realm of modern technology and its applications in various sectors, especially media and communications.  

We also hope that this partnership and cooperation will be strengthened in the future, especially when an official Tunisian delegation will visit China in the coming days. We await the signing of new exchange agreements between Tunisian Television and China Central Television, known commonly as CCTV, to develop skills and working methods as well as give a new dimension to Tunisia-China cooperation in the field of media and in other areas. That will contribute to meeting the aspirations of Tunisian and Chinese youth. 

In short, my visit to China and my participation in the 8th China-Africa Youth Festival was immensely rewarding, and this trip certainly ranks as the best among my 20-plus foreign trips so far. And what I saw as a visitor in China undoubtedly makes the country a world-class tourist destination.  

It’s simply unforgettable!  

The author is a Tunisian journalist