Learning Session on “Innovating Trade Justice: Advancing China-Africa Cooperation through AU & FOCAC Frameworks” for the China Fellowship Program at the University of Sargodha

On 2nd December 2025, a learning session on “Innovative Dispute Settlement Tools in China-Africa Trade Cooperation: Building a Mechanism through the AU and FOCAC Framework” was conducted under the joint China Fellowship Program at the University of Sargodha (UoS). The session was led by Dr. Norga Komba, Doctor of Law in Environmental and Natural Resource Protection Law from Wuhan University, Legal Scholar at the Research Institute of Environmental Law (RIEL), Founder of Ecosphere Solutions Limited (Tanzania), and Lecturer at Jordan University College, Tanzania. Dr. Komba provided a comprehensive overview of the rapidly growing China-Africa trade relationship and China’s BRI shape economic cooperation and create a pressing need for credible and modern dispute-settlement mechanisms.
During the presentation, she highlighted key challenges affecting China-Africa dispute resolution, including weak institutional structures, the decentralized nature of CAJAC, limited legal precedent, and technology gaps. Dr. Komba emphasized the importance of harmonizing legal and policy frameworks between BRI and AfCFTA, modernizing Bilateral Investment Treaties, and adopting hybrid arbitration models integrating African legal norms with UNCITRAL rules. She also shed light on emerging dimensions such as the Digital Silk Road, digital innovation hubs, e-commerce expansion, and the crucial role of sustainability in trade cooperation—linking these developments with the SDGs, Agenda 2063, green financing, and climate-smart infrastructure.
The session concluded with practical policy recommendations, urging the establishment of a Sino-African Trade Governance Council, a unified legal registry for trade governance, stronger digital equity initiatives, and enhanced environmental and social safeguards. A highly engaging question-and-answer segment allowed students to interact directly with the speaker, deepening their understanding of complex legal and economic themes.
The session was moderated by Ms. Yusra Binte Nisar, Research Assistant at PRCCSF, Islamabad, and Ms. Alishba Aslam, Research Officer at the Pakistan Institute of China Studies (PICS-UOS), who ensured a productive and intellectually enriching learning environment.