Photo’s Source: President Xi Jinping’s speech at the Forum – https://www.atalayar.com/en/opinion/lahcen-haddad/africa-and-china-opportunities-and-challenges-of-shared-destiny/20240910170000205014.html

On September 6, the 9^th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) concluded in Beijing. Founded in 2000, FOCAC now has 55 members including China, 53 African countries that have established diplomatic relations with China, and the AU Commission. The participants to this 9^th Forum included nearly 300 people, with senior officials and representatives from the 53 African members (heads of state and government from 51 countries, along with presidential representatives from two additional nations) of the FOCAC and heads of members of the Chinese Follow-up Committee of the FOCAC. 

Since its establishment, FOCAC has become an important mechanism for cooperation between China and African countries. With the deepening development of globalization, China-Africa relations have become increasingly close and the areas of cooperation have been expanding. The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation not only provides a high-level platform for dialogue between the two sides, but also provides important support for the promotion of economic development, cultural exchanges and political cooperation.

The history of China-Africa relations can be traced back to trade exchanges thousands of years ago, but modern China-Africa relations were established mainly in the late 20th century. With the deepening of China’s reform and opening up, China began to actively participate in international affairs, especially in investment and cooperation in Africa. The first Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was held in Beijing, marking a new stage in China-Africa relations, established to strengthen political mutual trust, economic cooperation and cultural exchanges between China and African countries.

Main Areas of Cooperation of FOCAC

Since the establishment of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, China and Africa have continued to expand the content of their cooperation, extending it from economic areas such as agriculture, industry, investment and tourism, political exchanges and cooperation in peace and security to humanistic and social exchanges such as civil society, think-tanks, education and medical care, and building a series of sound institutional mechanisms on the basis of the FOCAC, which have injected new impetus into the development of China and Africa in all aspects.

• Economic Cooperation

Economic exchanges and cooperation were the main content of the first Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and have also been an important subject that cannot be ignored by previous FOCACs, playing a fundamental role in the development of FOCAC. Economic exchanges and cooperation in FOCAC are mainly in the areas of agriculture, industry, investment and tourism.

In the area of agriculture, since the late 1950s, China-Africa agricultural cooperation has undergone a transformation from a single, low-level to an all-industry chain model. Cooperation now includes the cultivation of a wide range of crops, such as rice, cotton and sugar cane, and the level of science and technology is constantly rising. China dispatches experts, builds technology demonstration centers, and carries out scientific research, technology training and transfer, which has raised the level of mechanization and scientization of African agriculture. At the same time, the cooperation focuses on increasing the added value of crops, such as building spinning and weaving mills, and emphasizes the coordination between agricultural development and environmental protection. Second, the main bodies of China-Africa agricultural cooperation have become increasingly diversified, including interregional multilateral cooperation, the participation of local governments, scientific research units and enterprises. For example, cooperation between China and the African Union has promoted agricultural development in Africa, cooperation among local governments has led to the signing of practical cooperation agreements, cooperation among scientific research institutions has trained a group of young African agricultural researchers, and cooperation among enterprises has been reflected in the establishment of agricultural companies and the development of farms.

With regard to industry, China-Africa industrial cooperation was becoming increasingly sophisticated and the construction of China-Africa industrial parks had achieved significant results. In the course of more than 20 years of development, China-Africa industrial cooperation has spanned many areas of light and heavy industry, and has involved a great variety of products. For example, after the Third Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was held, China provided assistance to Africa in the form of various kinds of loans to support the implementation of 54 industrial projects in 28 African countries, which involved many industries such as energy, mining, electric power, water conservancy and construction; at the Fifth China-Africa Entrepreneurs’ Conference in 2015, representatives of Chinese and African enterprises held seminars on industry and other fields, and reached 22 cooperation agreements with a total value of more than $13 billion.

In terms of investment and tourism cooperation, with the steady increase in the level of economic development of both China and Africa and the positive development trend of investment policies, especially after the establishment of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, China’s investment in Africa has developed rapidly, with the amount of investment rising year by year, the fields of investment broadening, and the main bodies of investment being more enriched. In the course of development for more than 20 years, China and Africa have actively invited each other to participate in their own national or regional tourism exhibitions, tourism seminars and other activities, laying a good foundation for the vigorous development of the tourism industry in China and Africa. At the same time, the two sides continue to carry out training and exchange activities for tourism personnel, greatly enhancing the service level of tourism personnel and providing favorable conditions for the prosperous development of the tourism industry in China and Africa. Finally, China and Africa have continued to simplify exit procedures, which has led to a rapid increase in the number of tourists.

• Political Interaction

Political exchanges and peace and security cooperation are important elements of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. In the course of more than 20 years of development, political exchanges between China and Africa have become closer and closer, resulting in a new situation of multi-directional interactions, such as high-level visits, consultations between foreign ministers, and cooperation between parliaments, political parties and local governments, with exchanges of experience in governance and mutual assistance in international politics being the main elements of China-Africa political exchanges. The two sides have carried out a series of activities in the area of peace and security, which have greatly contributed to geopolitical security in the vicinity of the two sides and provided important guarantees for the development of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in all its aspects.

For a long time, the security situation in Africa has faced many challenges, especially in the area of non-traditional security, such as terrorism. On the premise of full respect for the wishes of African countries, non-interference in the internal affairs of African countries, and adherence to the basic principles of international relations, China has actively supported African countries in dealing with terrorism and other non-traditional security issues. China has dispatched medical and observer units to peacekeeping operations in Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire and Burundi, and has dispatched naval fleets to the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters to combat Somali piracy and maintain security in African waters. At the same time, China has actively supported the cause of peace and security of African countries on multilateral occasions, and has promoted the international community’s attention to and support for Africa on issues such as climate change, human rights development and combating piracy. African countries have actively supported China’s response to natural disasters and other non-traditional security issues, such as the Yushu earthquake and the Wenchuan earthquake, for which African countries have actively offered condolences and material support.

• Humanistic Exchange

Cultural exchanges are an important part of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. Through educational cooperation, personnel exchanges and cultural activities, China and Africa have deepened mutual understanding and friendship. The Chinese Government has set up scholarships and supported African students to study in China, promoting humanistic exchanges. At the same time, African countries have actively promoted their own cultures to China and enhanced their cultural self-confidence. Meanwhile, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation has also promoted civil exchanges by organizing cultural festivals, art exhibitions and other activities to showcase the cultural diversity of both sides. Such cultural interaction not only enriches the cultural life of both sides, but also lays a good social foundation for economic cooperation.

In the process of inter-country exchanges, generally speaking, indirect contacts precede direct contacts, and informal exchanges are more intensive than formal exchanges. In addition to official exchanges, China-Africa exchanges in the form of civil society and think tanks are also indispensable, which makes the friendship between China and Africa everlasting. The institutionalized activities of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation take the form of ministerial meetings, in addition to China-Africa civil society forums, China-Africa think-tank forums and China-Africa youth leaders’ forums. These activities focus on issues of concern to the peoples of China and Africa and play an important role in promoting the development of China-Africa relations.

9^th Summit of FOCAC

The September 4^th-6^th summit was the largest gathering of African and Chinese leaders since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. President Xi Jinping also held bilateral meetings with some of the African leaders on the sidelines of the summit.

The theme of the summit was “Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a Community with a Shared Future”. Therefore, this meeting showed that China’s partnership with Africa has both continuity and change. At the summit, China pledged 360 billion yuan ($50.6 billion) in financial support to Africa over the next three years, marking a big increase from the 2021 FOCAC ministerial meeting in Dakar, Senegal. Additionally, China outlined an extensive range of cooperative plans for the coming three years, focusing on enhancing governance exchanges, boosting bilateral trade and advancing projects in infrastructure, digital technology and green development. As African experts have stated, China’s pledge, made at the summit, to jointly work with Africa to achieve modernization of the continent has been warmly welcomed and it aligns closely with the long-term vision of African countries. The platform has been praised for its transformative role in economic, political, and social development over the last two decades.

According to the FOCAC-Beijing Action Plan (2025-2027), China is willing to work with Africa to implement the “Ten Partnership Actions for China and Africa to Jointly Promote Modernization” over the next three years, which cover the areas of “Political, Peace and Security Cooperation”, “Governance, Modernization and Mutual Exchange of Civilizations”, “Belt and Road Cooperation and AU Agenda 2063”, “Accelerating the modernization of African agriculture”, “Prioritizing support for Africa’s industrialization, energy and trade”, “Supporting the development of African human resources and the empowerment of women and children”, “Strengthening cooperation in the field of sustainable development” and “Social and humanistic cooperation and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”.

Among them, China and Africa have further cooperated in the field of energy, especially new energy. Trade between China and Africa has rebounded from previous levels. In 2023, total trade between China and Africa reached a record $282 billion, accounting for 9.9% of Africa’s GDP, while in 2019, trade between China and Africa was less than $200 billion. China’s high demand for minerals critical to the green energy transition accounts for much of this, and cooperation between the two sides is deepening in the new energy sector. In terms of new energy vehicles, China’s exports of new energy vehicles to Africa grew 291 percent year-on-year in 2023. In South Africa, Chinese car company Foton released a variety of pure electric vehicles not long ago, accelerating the layout of the South African pure electric courier speed transportation market with the advantages of short-distance and efficient, multi-drawn and fast, energy saving and environmental protection. In terms of green development, the document also puts forward that “China will give full play to its advantages in the use of solar energy, wind energy, support African countries to make better use of renewable energy, and further expand the scale of investment in Africa’s energy-saving technologies, high-tech industries, green and low-carbon industries, etc., and jointly build photovoltaic demonstration projects to support the gas pedal project of China-Africa energy innovation and cooperation, and to promote green industrial cooperation, and help African countries optimize their energy resources, and help African countries optimize their energy structure and upgrade their industrial structure.”

In the economic sector, China has pledged to provide the above-mentioned financial support over the next three years, an increase from 2021. However, in the infrastructure sector, China’s loans to Africa are gradually decreasing and the amount of investment is more cautious. Data suggests that some countries in Africa have difficulties in repaying their arrears in the infrastructure sector, particularly Ethiopia, Zambia and Kenya. However, this does not mean that China is withdrawing from the African market, China still has relatively close economic exchanges with Africa. In terms of loans to sub-Saharan Africa, China is still second to none.

Meanwhile, in the field of digital economy, China and Africa have also carried out exchanges and cooperation. At the 2024 China-Africa Digital Cooperation Forum, China and Africa proposed that they will work together to promote cooperative actions in the six major areas of digital policy, digital infrastructure, digital innovation, digital transformation, digital security, and digital capacity, and make efforts in the direction of promoting Africa’s digitization and intelligence to create and share digital dividends.

Meanwhile, China and Africa have also reached a consensus in the areas of global governance, nuclear energy, education, artificial intelligence, and film and television communication. China and Africa will strengthen communication and coordination, forge consensus, and continuously respond to the historical trend of peace, development, cooperation, and win-win situation, so as to promote the comprehensive and in-depth development of China-Africa friendship and cooperation.

Conclusion

The modernization promoted by the Beijing summit is evident in China’s ongoing support for industrial, agricultural, and infrastructure projects in Africa, forming one of the concrete applications of the Belt and Road Initiative. Political dialogue is focused on enhancing mutual understanding to advocate for the interests of developing countries in international forums.

Moreover, Africa represents an opportunity for China, which seeks partners in its quest to build a new world order. Conversely, China is an economic, industrial, and financial powerhouse on which Africa can rely to support its development, free from what many Africans perceive as the rigid rules, strict calculations, and political and intellectual arrogance of some Western countries. The political will of both parties—China and Africa—is to establish new and fairer rules for the Global South. However, achieving these goals requires an effective approach and close monitoring of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration, as well as the genuine consolidation of the “win-win” principle that typically characterizes China-Africa conferences.

Overall, China’s commitment to sharing its economic model with Africa — beyond mere trade and infrastructure — shows a deeper mutual understanding. Africa is in no way passive in its interaction with China, as the African Union Commission is a member of FOCAC and China’s engagement with the continent aligns with the African Union’s Agenda 2063. Also, this 2024 Summit demonstrated that China recognized the importance of Africa “many years ago” and continues to be the continent’s important external partner, with the relationship maturing and developing, according to experts.

Looking ahead, China-Africa cooperation will focus more on sustainable development, promote green economy and digital transformation, and increase investment in science and technology innovation and humanistic exchanges. In addition, with the ever-changing global economic environment, China and Africa will continue to work together to address global challenges such as climate change and public health, and promote common development through pragmatic cooperation. This partnership will not only bring tangible benefits to the people of both China and Africa, but also contribute to global economic stability and prosperity.

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