The COVID-19 pandemic may have ravaged the world's economy and forced nations to shut their borders, but it has failed to truly cut the ties between people.

This is very much the case with Africans and Chinese. Many of them have stayed connected by digital means, and have become even more supportive of each other while facing a common enemy.

Take my friend Andrew Gatera. I first met him almost a decade ago when he was studying for a master's degree in Beijing under a Chinese government scholarship. Andrew has been dedicated to strengthening understanding between Chinese and African people after returning to his native Rwanda.

Some years ago, he began offering Chinese visitors safari tours to primate habitats, such as with treks to see gorillas in Rwanda and elsewhere in East Africa.

To keep up connections with his Chinese friends and customers after the onset of the pandemic, he introduced tourism destinations in Rwanda via livestreaming on the Chinese e-commerce platform Taobao. That initiative enabled him to connect with tens of thousands of Chinese followers. He told me that he believes the friendship between Chinese and Africans will hold up despite the pandemic, and he expects more Chinese visitors to come again.

I have also heard from Chinese businesswoman Diana Chen, who went to Nigeria 12 years ago and has always wanted to obtain profound understandings of the local people in order to become fully integrated into society. Facing the pandemic, she stood side by side with the Nigerian people to combat the virus.

Chen has donated an ambulance, 50,000 face masks, and the equivalent of $55,000 to combat the virus in Nigeria.

"Now, more than ever, we all need to show serious concern and commitment to eliminating the threat of this virus so that life can return to normal," she said.

A helping hand

Gatera's and Chen's stories account for just a tiny part of the continuous people-to-people exchanges and friendships between China and Africa. Amid the pandemic, many Chinese organizations and individuals have extended a helping hand to Africans.

Activities have also been held via video link to help people from both sides better understand each other and work together against the virus. For example, I have participated in, and reported on, a series of webinars between Chinese and African media representatives.

Through these events, media members have vowed to strengthen cooperation in promoting the spread of objective and scientific information, while opposing fake news and racial stigmatization related to the coronavirus. We have also shared experiences of reporting on the pandemic and how to better work together in the fight against the virus.

As for 2020, it was certainly a year in which we didn't get everything we wanted, but it did serve to make us appreciate all the things we do have. In this spirit, Chinese and Africans should cherish the friendships we hold and take them to an even higher level this year.