On October 28, 2024, from 14:00 am to 16:00, Center for Sub-Saharan African Studies of the Institute for International and Area Studies (IIAS) at Tsinghua University hosted the second lecture of the 2024-2025 autumn semester “The Transformation of China's Foreign aid to International Development Cooperation”. The lecture was held both online and offline and was delivered by Wang Luo, Director of Institute of International Development and Cooperation, Academy of the Ministry of Commerce. The event was moderated by Dr. Gao Liangmin, director of Center for Sub-Saharan African Studies, Assistant Professor at the Institute for International and Area Studies, Tsinghua University.

About 170 people attended the lecture, including IIAS faculty members and doctoral students, scholars and students from both home and abroad, and others interested in the topic.

Looking back on the whole lecture, Director Wang Luo reviewed the historical changes in foreign aid and international development cooperation from both a Chinese and Western perspective, while also exploring the innovative points of China's transformation to development cooperation in light of the latest international political, economic situation and new changes in international development cooperation.

Director Wang Luo pointed out that the aid from western countries is a bottom-up, one-way aid, while the fundamental logic of China's foreign aid is different. It has always cooperated with the country's political and diplomatic strategies and is in a stable upward trend.

In the second part of the lecture, Director Wang Luo shared the significance of the the transformation of China's foreign aid to international development cooperation and its three major innovations, including conceptual innovation, model innovation and mechanism innovation.

During the Q&A session, Director Wang engaged in a lively discussion with IIAS students and faculty, as well as other online and offline participants. Topics included how universities can cultivate talent in the field of foreign aid and participate in foreign aid projects, the construction of supporting cultural facilities in the process of international development cooperation, and how to avoid risks in foreign aid, etc.

Wang Luo, Director and Researcher, Institute of International Development and Cooperation, Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, Ministry of Commerce.
Research fields: International development cooperation, China's foreign aid, South-South cooperation.
Major experience: In 2013, she was assigned to the Institute of International Development Cooperation of the Academy of the Ministry of Commerce, where she has been the director since then. From 2012 to 2013, she worked in the Foreign Aid Department of the Ministry of Commerce. From 2007 to 2012, served as deputy director of the Institute of Asia and Africa Studies of the Academy of the Ministry of Commerce. From 2006 to 2007, she went to a comprehensive research institution in Japan as a visiting scholar.
Major achievements: participated in a number of major research projects of the Ministry of Commerce and the International Development Cooperation Agency.