Taling T. Rodrigue is Vice Director at the Center for Francophone Studies at Zhejiang Normal University. He is one of the African scholars who co-signed a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping. In the letter, the scholars praised the historic achievements of FOCAC and expressed hope that the upcoming summit would open a new chapter in building a China-Africa community with a shared future and advancing the joint modernization of the Global South. Rodrigue says Africa's collaboration with China has huge potential to address some of the continent's most pressing challenges, such as poverty, infrastructure and tech advancement.