China's Higher Education Partnership with Africa As a Tool of Public Diplomacy of the People's Republic of China

Education cooperation is perceived as a key element to boosting the comprehensive partnership between China, the world's largest developing country, and Africa, the continent with largest number of developing countries. The article highlights the main elements of China's investment in human resource development on the African continent. It includes assessments of several long- and short-term training programs, the 20 plus 20 scheme, and the Confucius Institutes. In particular, the article highlights the importance of public diplomacy to China. The article affirms that the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) plays an indispensable role in China-Africa collaboration, which includes educational cooperation between the countries and represents a new model of South-South multilateral relations. The author calls upon China and African countries to broaden cooperation in the sphere of education.