The Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, Cong Song, has said educational, cultural and professional exchanges are becoming increasingly important to the future of Ghana-China relations.
He said the relationship between the two countries should, therefore, not be measured solely by trade, investment or infrastructure projects, but also by the connections being built among students, journalists, academics, young people and cultural institutions.
Mr Cong said this in Accra last Saturday during an interaction with media professionals admitted for the 2026 Ghana-China Media Fellowship, organised by the Africa-China Centre for Policy and Advisory (ACCPA).
The engagement formed part of a presentation on China’s approach to global governance, security and international cooperation.
It also highlighted the role of dialogue among civilisations in promoting mutual understanding and peaceful relations among countries.
Cooperation
People-to-people cooperation has become a visible feature of Ghana-China relations.
Ghanaian students continue to pursue academic and professional training in China, while Chinese-language education and cultural programmes have expanded through universities and other educational institutions in Ghana.
Exchanges involving researchers, journalists, artists and young professionals are also helping to broaden the relationship beyond formal engagements between governments and businesses.
Mr Cong said while Chinese language and culture were gaining visibility in Ghana, greater space was also needed for Ghanaian and African histories, cultures and perspectives to be promoted in China.
He said as Ghana-China cooperation continued to expand, its long-term strength would depend not only on agreements signed by governments or the volume of trade recorded, but also on how well Ghanaians and Chinese understood, engaged with and learnt from one another.
He said language barriers, limited public knowledge and stereotypes on both sides remained obstacles, adding that, despite the progress, building genuine mutual understanding would require exchanges that work in both directions.
He, therefore, called on the media to help address these gaps through reporting that was informed and balanced while maintaining the independence necessary to examine both the benefits and concerns associated with the relationship.
Mr Cong said differences in history, culture and development experiences should provide opportunities for societies to learn from one another rather than become sources of division.
He maintained that no civilisation should be considered superior to another.
