On November 13, 2024, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation China Office (BMGF China Country Office) held the "BMGF China Country Office Workshop on FOCAC9 Outcomes Agenda." Attendees included ambassadors from Belt and Road Initiative countries, senior project officers from international organizations, the president of the China-Africa Development Fund, representatives from the Export-Import Bank of China and multinational investments, as well as senior researchers and expert professors from relevant ministerial research institutions. Only two universities—Peking University and the University of International Business and Economics—were invited to the workshop.

Executive Dean Siyan Shen of the Global Value Chain Research Institute at our university was invited to participate and delivered a speech titled "China and Africa: Building Global Value Chains Based on Development and Resilience," followed by a Q&A discussion. Dean Siyan Shen first introduced that the Global Value Chain Research Institute had collaborated with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation since its establishment to conduct research on "Africa's Integration into Global Value Chains," culminating in the release of the New Era China-Africa Development Cooperation Research Report. Next, Dean Shen provided a concise overview of the current state of China-Africa development within global value chains. For example, under the Belt and Road Initiative, 52 African countries and the African Union Commission have signed cooperation agreements with China, leading to continuous expansion in trade and investment. She also briefly analyzed phenomena such as Africa's lagging participation in global value chains compared to Asia and Latin America, identifying reasons and emphasizing that global value chains serve as a key driver of structural transformation. Finally, she shared prospects for deepening China-Africa cooperation, proposing that such collaboration aims to integrate regional value chains into global value chains. Efforts will focus on strengthening African countries' manufacturing and production capacities, consolidating their positions in global value chains, and enhancing supply chain security through digital technologies to promote sustainable growth and development. Dean Shen also provided clear responses to questions raised by experts such as Hon. Mr. Gyude Moore (former Minister of Public Works of Liberia) and Ms. Melat Tekaligne (Senior Program Officer for Policy, Advocacy, and Communication at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), earning praise from the attendees.