Eight years ago, Rose Mary Adikin from Uganda started working at a Chinese company. After marrying a Chinese man, she began sharing her wonderful life in both China and Africa on social media.
With over 20 million followers, she has become a globally recognized "Chinese agricultural innovation advocate".
"Through livestreaming and e-commerce, I hope to send Chinese agricultural products to Africa," she said at a sub-forum on people-to-people connectivity at the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation on Wednesday in Beijing.
The sub-forum brought together over 300 guests from more than 80 countries and regions as well as international organizations.
Li Hongzhong, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said that over the last decade, countries engaged in BRI cooperation have come together to host cultural and film festivals, art exhibitions and various other events, significantly enhancing the cultural and intellectual experiences of their populations.
These collaborating nations have also forged a robust network of civil organizations in the Belt and Road Initiative, uniting 400 such organizations from participating countries and facilitating numerous exchange programs and training initiatives, Li said.
Katarina Zakic, head of the center for the Belt and Road Initiative at the Institute of International Politics and Economics in Serbia, said that although technology is very helpful in many ways, without people-to-people connectivity they would not achieve anything.
"I hope that we will continue our cooperation with China, not only in the field of economy, but also in tourism and the scientific field," she said.
Zakic was impressed by the science development in China. "It is giving us the hope that it will happen in other countries. I hope also that the Chinese professors and scientists will come to the Belt and Road countries and participate in their scientific development," she said.
Jason Ho, president of Macau Technology General Association, said that they host a technology expo annually and the BRI allows them to go beyond borders and make good use of technologies to create a sustainable future.
