Senator Beatrice Elachi's personal mission is to promote people-to-people exchange programs between China and Kenya. It is a critical way of breaking down barriers erected by cultural differences, she says.
It took China about 30 years to transform itself from a poor country to an important economic power, but Africa is trying to make the transformation sooner.
For more than two decades, Somalia has had a reputation as a failed state in the eyes of many around the world. It has been known for tribal and jihadi warfare, famine and high-seas piracy.
David Kynaston believes many underestimate just how Hong Kong has transformed itself over the past 35 years.
Alex Vines believes China has shaken up a Western approach to Africa that was stuck in a time warp.
Entrepreneur Ma Yingying is on a mission to bring Peking Opera to audiences in Europe and beyond.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is eyeing opportunities to work closely with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, both in offering advice as it grows and jointly funding infrastructure projects.
The growth of offshore renminbi activities and expansion of Chinese financial institutions in London are helping the city to maintain its competitiveness as a financial center, says Mark Boleat, policy chairman of the City of London Corporation.
Chinese companies are gaining a new level of global competitive strength by combining domestic product and market scale with niche technology acquired abroad, says Peter Williamson, professor of international management at the University of Cambridge's Judge Business School.
China has a competitive edge in infrastructure construction in Africa, so Chinese companies do not necessarily need to diversify into other sectors, says Ekwee Ethuro, the speaker of the Kenyan Senate. Instead they should be looking for a long-term future in infrastructure, he says.
Though many Europeans have shown lots of interest in China's recent economic and geopolitical initiatives, many are unclear as to what exactly they mean for Europe, according to the author of the first book focused on China's Belt and Road Initiative.
Calling Kenya's former vice-president Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka a friend of China is an understatement. He has visited China 15 times, he says, and he is one of the architects behind the nations' warm relationship.
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