Young people in China are also doing their part for relations with Africa. On Sunday, young inventers from across China wrapped up a contest in Beijing seeking innovative solutions to development challenges on the African continent. A creative design for a solar-powered backpack took the top prize at the Public Benefit International Challenge for Youth, ahead of other impressive ideas like distribution solutions for sports equipment and mosquito control programs. CGTN's Mark Fontes has more.

Support programs for female forest rangers, solar energy school bags for students, free internet education and organizing doctors and volunteers to provide free physical exams for children with AIDS in Ghana. Would you believe these projects were all developed by groups of students? Ten teams of teenagers from Africa and China competed in the Public Benefit International Challenge for Youth to come up with these ideas. The challenge aims to come up with creative ways to improve conditions in Africa in areas like health care and education.

XUE YIWEI MEMBER OF WINNING TEAM "SOLAR HEART" "We know Zimbabwe is a country lacking in electricity supply. So our project hopes to solve students' problem of not being able to read books in the dark, by using solar energy school bags, which can improve their study environment. The bags only need to charge for 4 hours during the day, and then they'll have 8 hours of light for studying in the dark."

They have raised funds through corporate financing, online platforms like WeChat, charity sales and performances, as well as public welfare publicity. This also gives contestants a way to increase public outreach.

XUE YIWEI MEMBER OF WINNING TEAM "SOLAR HEART" "At present, we have raised about 300,000 yuan for 1,000 bags through channels such as social enterprises and online platforms. And we are expecting to donate 5,000 solar energy school bags to students in Zimbabwe next year through the support of more enterprises and the public."

PBIC was founded in 2017 by the China-Africa Business Council and the China Social Assistance Foundation to promote exchanges between young people of China and Africa.

WANG XIAOYONG FOUNDER OF PBIC SECRETARY-GENERAL OF CHINA-AFRICA BUSINESS COUNCIL "I hope PBIC can let people better understand Africa and the public welfare there, and let children turn their ideas into executable reality as well, which can bring Africa the love and caring of young Chinese people and improve people-to-people exchanges between the two sides."

The PBIC also is supported by the United Nations. Its work ties into the UN's "Sustainable Development Goals" hoped to be reached by 2030, all while giving the young team members opportunities for growth.

PROF. ROBERT LYON, PBIC JUDGE LEONARD N. STERN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS NEW YORK UNIVERSITY "Some teams show their creativity, show real dedication, real hard work, show real compassion for the problem which takes empathy, they really put themselves in the place of the beneficiaries, they are thinking about Africa, thinking about what they need and what would be best to help them."

AMAKOBE SANDE, COUNTRY DIRECTOR UNAIDS CHINA "We're very excited, from a sustainable development goals perspective, that Chinese young people are learning about opportunities and challenges on the African continent, and not just learning from a knowledge perspective, but also actively committed to doing something about those opportunities and challenges."

As the saying goes, love makes the world go around. Young people, who have the most to gain from an improving world, can use their innovation to build a caring bridge between Africa and China. Mark Fontes, CGTN.