Building bridges

Sibanda formed the network in 2013 as a non-profit organization to help better run the Appreciate Africa Academy, which is dedicated to teaching about Africa in international schools in China.

The academy collaborates closely with the African China Economical Resource Center, and throughout the year organizes various events to wave the collective African banner.

There is "Africa Night Asia", for example, during which African students take part in a speaking contest, co-run with the Young African Brand Ambassadors Association, a voluntary association of talented African students working as national "ambassadors". Last year 35 took part with the winner from Namibia.

"The students are representing their countries, so there is a serious political and diplomatic dimension.

"What they are doing now might affect investment decisions in the future, and future economic links between China and African countries," says Sibanda.

Another of its programs is "Africa's Got Talent", which aims to help Africans find employment through a new database of people and their skills, which is available to outsiders.

"There is an abundance of talented people from Africa and the world needs to know about them," she says. "We have many talented African doctors, lawyers and teachers. This is a good place to find them."

But it is the work of her academy - which works with international schools including the Eduwings German Kindergarten and Sunrise International, both in the capital - which clearly has a special place in Sibanda's heart.

"I teach them about the history of Africa and show them where each country is. Some think it is just one country and don't know Africa actually has 56 countries.

Construction has started, too, on the African Information Resource Center in Beijing, which she hopes would become a center for all African cultural activities in Beijing.

"We are also here to assist Africans who come to China and have no idea about the country. There are so many ways in which they can help each other, and the economies of both."

Meanwhile, links between South Africa and China have become headline news in recent years.

Official figures show that trade between them has increased dramatically during the past few years, from $4.6 billion in 2004 to $19.2 billion in 2012, and $25 billion in 2013, and it is Tebogo Lefifi's job to continue building links between the two BRICS-member countries.

As China manager of Brand South Africa, the official marketing and profiling agency, which also has several offices in Europe and the US, her goal is to improve its competitiveness globally by attracting investment, tourism and high-level skills.

"Given the size of the continent, everything tiny in Africa has the potential to develop into a mega-project, and each hub can produce something that's unique, from its people, from its landscapes, from its resources," says Lefifi.

The Beijing office only opened late last year, primarily to promote the country as an ideal investment destination but also to source business opportunities for South African companies in the Chinese market.

Previous Chinese involvement in South Africa was mainly focused on bringing resources back to produce goods in China and then selling the commodities to the world, including Africa.

But now they are gaining awareness of a more mutually beneficial, long-term approach - it is not just about coming in and taking away anymore, Lefifi says.

One of the key sectors she works on is tourism. BSA used to be involved in building a holistic image of South Africa as a destination for visitors, businesspeople, skilled workers, technicians and investors, but today's approach is more targeted. For example, with 3,000 kilometers of coastline, South Africa is being promoted strongly as a surfing hotspot, and has become one of the world's most famous destinations.

The country's diversity is a key selling point. Lefifi points out that in South Africa you only have to drive two hours in any direction, and you find a different landscape.