On the afternoon of September 3rd , 2018, Prof. Kennedy Gaston, Secretary-General of the AALCO, gave the training class the first lecture on the theme of ‘Bilateral Investment Agreements (BITs) and Existing Problems’. Professor Gaston pointed out that BITs are agreements between capital importing countries and capital exporting countries. Most developing countries are now capital importing countries. In order to attract foreign investment to develop their own economies, some developing countries and capital exporting countries abandoned some key elements pertaining to the principle of ‘permanent sovereignty over natural resources’ at the conclusion of BITs, making it possible for BITs to become self-restricted by developing countries in their sovereign jurisdiction over natural resources.

Talking about the risks in it, the student from Algeria said: "For developing countries, it is a matter of balance. They are not unaware of the dangers of signing such a bilateral investment agreement, but they have to do so now. Because they need foreign capital, they need technology, they need employment, they need to develop their economy, and the risks they bring may be resolved until the economic development reaches a certain level. Those from other Asian and African countries have also nodded their approval.

Subsequently, a student from the African Republic of Zimbabwe cited the local investment of Chinese companies as an example. ‘The current investment of Chinese companies in Zimbabwe is mainly concentrated on government infrastructure projects. BITs may be beneficial to the country, but there has has little benefit for the general public. In many cases, BITs have a stronger political color. Professor Gaston also affirmed that there are indeed a lot of similar situations in practice, so it is necessary to establish a more just international new order.

The two-hour wonderful class time was fleeting. Afterwards, all the students carefully watched the opening ceremony of the 7th China-Africa Cooperation Forum Beijing Summit and listened carefully to President Xi Jinping’ s keynote speech entitled ‘Joining Together and Promoting Development’. The concept of "win-win cooperation and building a closer community of fate between China and Africa" advocated by President Xi Jinping was highly thought of by all the participants . Several participants from Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Senegal in Africa felt the most profound and hoped that in the future, Africa will be closer to China and expand their cooperation in a deeper field.