Popularization of science key to sci-tech partnership

Lieutenant Colonel Tang Shengjie, a crew member of the Shenzhou XVII mission, exits the Tiangong space station before conducting a spacewalk and completing a host of tasks with Tang Hongbo, mission commander. But to fully harness the power of science and technology to build a bright future, enhancing people's knowledge about science — through science popularization — is just as crucial as promoting sci-tech innovation because it would lay the foundation for nurturing sci-tech talents, facilitating the commercialization of research results, and deepening cooperation in fields such as education, culture and people-to-people exchanges. Similarly, the African Union's "Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2024" and "Agenda 2063" highlight the importance of science education, building a scientific culture and deepening global cooperation. The two sides should use the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and the UN's resolution on the "International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development" adopted in August 2023 to launch new science popularization activities in areas of mutual interest, such as to combat climate change, conserve biodiversity, increase the share of clean energy in the total energy mix and safeguard food security and use AI for public good. The two sides should also explore new ways of increasing sci-tech exchanges among children and adolescents, enhancing dialogue, conducting joint research in science literacy evaluation and improvement, sharing educational resources for science popularization, enhancing coordination and collaboration between Chinese and African sci-tech organizations, and jointly contribute to the realization of the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and building a community with a shared future for mankind.