By: Alusine Sesay
Held between 4th and 6th September 2024, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) was attended by over 50 African heads of states in the Chinese capital, Beijing. First held in 2000 as a platform for closer partnership with Africa, FOCAC forms the central pillar in advancing China–Africa relations and is an important arena for constructive diplomatic interaction between the two blocs. It provides the foundation for building a long-term ‘win-win’ China–Africa relationship.
The continent continues to be a strategic trading partner to China, with billions of dollars of Chinese investments made into Africa over the past decades. Data from the IMF shows that Chinese Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Africa has continued to increase over the past decades, from approximately $75 Million in 2003, to $5 billion in 2022, representing about 4.4% of the region’s total FDI. China continues to support investment financing in various sectors including mining, infrastructure, trade, agriculture and many other areas in Africa through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Aware of the inroads the Chinese are making into the African Continent through initiatives like FOCAC, the United States seems to be upping its game and strengthening its ties with the continent. Just two years ago, the US hosted the first ever Africa Leadership Summit which was aimed at expanding partnership with African countries, institutions and people, which ended with a pledge to spend $55 billion in Africa against 2025.
The big question that emerges from this narrative is: what does this mean for Africa?
Is Africa now considered an equal partner rather than a victim ripe for exploitation. In his keynote address at the summit, Chinese President Xi Jing Ping maintained that,
“The founding of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2000 was a milestone in the history of China-Africa relations. Over the past 24 years, especially in the new era, China has advanced forward hand -in-hand with our African brothers and sisters in the spirit of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith.
At that summit, President Ping emphasized the need for Africa to embrace Chinese modernization and further dilated on the future of China Africa relations.
“China is ready to deepen cooperation with Africa in industry, agriculture, infrastructure, trade and investment, promote exemplary, high-quality Belt and Road cooperation projects, and build together a model for the delivery of the Global Development Initiative. China will work vigorously with Africa to promote personnel training, poverty reduction and employment, enhance the sense of gain, happiness and security of the people in the course of modernization, and ensure that all will benefit from the process,” he said.
To implement the ten partnership actions, according to President Xi, the Chinese government will provide RMB360 billion yuan ($50.70 billion) of financial support through the next three years.
“This breaks down into RMB210 billion Yuan of credit line, RMB80 billion Yuan of assistance in various forms, and at least RMB70 billion yuan of investment in Africa by Chinese companies. In addition, China will encourage and support Africa in issuing panda bonds in China to enhance our results-oriented cooperation in all areas.”
Governance Experience-sharing
As the biggest developing nation in the world, there is a lot that African states can learn from China’s growth trajectory. As such, the FOCAC 2024 summit served as an opportunity for the Africa Continent to tap into the ideals of the Chinese model of governance and help elevate the living standards of citizens. President Xi has promised that China is ready to work with Africa to build a platform for governance experience sharing, a China-Africa knowledge network for development, and 25 centers on China and Africa studies.
“We will make better use of Africa’s leadership academies to cultivate talents for governance and invite 1,000 members of African political parties to China to deepen exchanges of experience in party and state governance.”
Health
With the continent struggling to achieve better healthcare services for its people, China is willing and ready to help boost health infrastructure in Africa as one of the key areas of interventions in the next three years.
“China is ready to establish with Africa a hospitals alliance and joint medical centers. We will send 2,000 medical personnel to Africa and launch 20 programs of health facilities and malaria treatment. We will encourage Chinese companies to invest in Africa’s pharmaceutical production and continue to do what we can to help Africa with epidemic response. We support the development of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to strengthen public health capacity in all African countries,”
President Xi promised.
Agriculture and Livelihoods
Across the world, China has proven to be a model in the area of agriculture and ensuring food sufficiency for its citizens. Africa stands to benefit significantly from that model of agricultural development in the next three years. President Xi promised to provide Africa with RMB1 billion Yuan in emergency food assistance, build 100,000 mu (about 6,670 hectares) of standardized agriculture demonstration areas in Africa, send 500 agricultural experts, and establish a China-Africa agricultural science and technology innovation alliance.
He also promised to implement 500 programs in Africa to promote community welfare and encourage a two-way investment path for Chinese and African companies. This should ultimately enable Africa retain added value, and create at least one million jobs for its citizens.
Trade
While Africa remains to be the biggest trading partner to China, providing raw materials for Chinese industries, the continent will further enjoy an open trade with China in the next three years. With the promise of a zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines, China will expand market access for African agricultural products, deepen cooperation with Africa in e-commerce and other areas, and launch a China-Africa Quality Enhancement Program.
President Xi further promised that China will enter into framework agreements on economic partnership for shared development with African countries to provide long-term, stable and predictable institutional guarantees for trade and investment between the two sides.
The summit was concluded with discussions around critical issues such as sustainable financing and the need for genuine investment strategies to foster long-term growth. The summit’s outcomes, which were warmly welcomed by African leaders, reaffirmed China’s position as one of Africa’s most important development partners.
Overall, the FOCAC 2024 summit served as an important enabler for strengthening the China-Africa partnership and presents a unique opportunity for the continent to benefit more from this relationship. The concept of Chinese Modernisation, devoid of imposition like the West, should be embraced by the African Continent because it is realistic and achievable. It remains to be seen how Africa and its peoples benefit from this renewed partnership with an old friend.