The 2026 China-South Africa Human Rights Seminar is held on Thursday in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 2026 China-South Africa Human Rights Seminar was held on Thursday in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, bringing together about 60 officials, experts, and scholars from China, South Africa, and other countries.

Participants held discussions on China-Africa economic and trade cooperation and the shared right to development, green transition, human rights protection, and advancing human rights through modernizing social governance.

Zhou Shuchun, executive vice-chairman of the China Foundation for Human Rights Development, said in his opening remarks that the combined population of China and Africa is close to 3 billion, and that the world can achieve modernization only when China and Africa work together toward modernization.

This year, before the seminar, South African participants spent three days visiting Hangzhou, Jinhua, and Yiwu in Zhejiang, where they visited industrial parks, businesses, and rural communities.

"Hopefully, what they have seen and experienced during the visit will help them better understand how China has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of absolute poverty and enabled them to lead more prosperous lives," Zhou said. He also highlighted China's efforts to pursue high-quality development through innovation, protect lucid waters and lush mountains while building a beautiful and livable country, and embrace the world with an open and inclusive approach.

Sayuri Govender, acting director for economic, social and cultural rights in South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation, said the global development landscape is changing, requiring countries to adjust their approaches to development.

"Development cooperation is no longer limited to natural resources," she said, noting that technological progress and artificial intelligence are also becoming increasingly important.

She said South Africa and other African countries could draw on China's accumulated experience and practices to address challenges, including poverty and inequality, and promote sustainable development.

Mpe Nthabiseng Malefane, acting chief director at the Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs Division of South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation, said social and economic inclusion remains a major challenge for South Africa. She described the seminar as an important platform for sharing ideas and experiences and for constructive engagement on human rights, particularly the right to development.

David Monyae, director of the Centre for Africa-China Studies at the University of Johannesburg, said the key question for the next stage of economic cooperation is no longer how much trade China and Africa can achieve, but whether trade can generate greater added value, improve productivity, and help African countries diversify their economies. Such issues, he said, will shape the next phase of China-Africa economic cooperation.

Initiated by the China Foundation for Human Rights Development, the China-South Africa Seminar on Human Rights was first held in Pretoria, South Africa, in December 2025.