What do you expect the Asian-African Conference to achieve?

Strengthening cooperation between Asia and Africa will not only help to stimulate the vitality of their collective economies, but will also give full play to their role as engines of the global economy. I think the participants at the conference will also discuss how global governance could give more assistance to developing countries. Moreover, I think the conference will continue to carry forward the spirit of the Bandung Conference (the first such event, held in 1955) by seeking common ground while shelving differences and striving for peaceful coexistence, which is significant in the current international situation.

Xu Weizhong, executive director and research professor at the Institute of African Studies, which operates under the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations

Which areas should be given priority, and why?

There are many areas that are important. But for me, the most critical area is to boost prosperity, because if there is no prosperity, nothing happens. People must have jobs, must have something to do to make a living. I would focus on trade. How do we open up trade for every Asian and African country? How do we do that in a systematic manner? And also technology transfer, because the more technology you acquire, the more growth opportunities you have. Technology hubs such as China and South Korea have done a good job of understanding that process.

Isaac Kwaku Fokun, from Ghana, founder of the Sino Africa Center of Excellence Foundation

What challenges are hindering cooperation between Asia and Africa, and how can they be overcome?

There are cultural barriers, and language may also be an obstacle. We need more interaction and social contact so people get to know each other. There is also a suspicion that some Asian countries want to take advantage of Africa, which is not true. That kind of fear, that kind of discomfort, needs to be sorted out so people can fully connect with each other.

Denise Kodhe, from Kenya, director-general of the Institute For Democracy & Leadership in Africa

How do you evaluate China's role in facilitating Asian-African cooperation?

China has transformed itself from a poor country into an Asian power and a large economy. Many Asian and African countries, however, are less developed, and they need to borrow from China's experience to pursue their own development.

He Wenping, director of the Institute of West Asian and African Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences