The Pujiang Innovation Forum Welcomes South Africa as Its First African Guest Country, Focusing on Multi-field Technological Cooperation

The 2026 Pujiang Innovation Forum was held in Shanghai from September 11 to 14, with South Africa making its debut as the forum's first African guest of honor, and Hunan Province serving as the guest province. The forum centered on exchanges around the mission of the global science and technology community, attracting wide attention to scientific and technological cooperation and the transformation of achievements. Reports show that the South African pavilion showcased more than ten projects, including aerospace, hydrogen energy technology, and ecoagriculture. Representatives attending from South African ecoagriculture companies and energy institutions said they hope to use the forum to carry out cooperation with Chinese partners in areas such as agriculture and hydrogen energy, with particular attention to the largescale application and commercialization of technologies. China and South Africa have maintained close economic and trade ties for a long time. The article notes that in 2025, bilateral trade between China and South Africa reached 53.58 billion US dollars, and in the first four months of 2026, bilateral trade amounted to 19.5 billion US dollars. The forum organizers said this year's event will continue to promote the building of an open and inclusive international platform for scientific and technological cooperation.