China-Africa relations under the FOCAC: Multi-dimensional, wide-ranging and in-depth cooperation for mutual benefits

Dr. Kaze Armel, Xiangtan University, China-Africa Institute for Business and Law 

The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) was implemented in 2000, and it was few African countries at the time that came up with the idea of implementing such a platform. Reviewing the history of FOCAC summits since 2000, gradual but solid steps to the driving forces for vigorous growth were witnessed between China and African countries. In one hand, over the years, China is seeing a transformative stage in its national reform and opening-up. On the other hand, many African countries like Rwanda, Kenya, Ethiopia are in a key period of reform, trying to walk out of severe poverty, becoming fast developing countries on the continent.

Since its establishment 24 years ago, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) has remained the essential platform on which Africa’s political, economic and socio-cultural relationship with China has continued to wax stronger. In fact, over the years, China has used the platform to engage all African countries, used the platform to cooperate with Africa on various issues of common concern, such as climate change, public health, peace and security, and digital transformation. The forum take palce every three years, in 2024, the 9^th FOCAC meeting will be in Beijing, President Xi will host the summit.

The FOCAC is a platform on which China and African countries come together and forge their own future. At the FOCAC summit since 2000, China and African countries leaders implement together a development plan and make sure the paln is put into action. For instance, at the FOCAC Summit in 2015, President Xi introduced “Ten Major Plans”, which were a milestone proposal from China to the continent and strengthened China-Africa cooperation in many sectors of development. The ten major plans include: industrialization of African countries, agriculture modernization, infrastructure, finance, green development, trade and investment facilitation, poverty alleviation, innovation of public health, humanities, and peace and security. Those ten major plans were the foundation of Africa’s early modernization, and some African countries while introducing their own development goals, take those ten major plans into consideration.

The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) has remained a veritable platform on which African countries’ political, economic and socio-cultural relationship with China has continued to wax stronger. Since its establishment back in 2000, China has over the years used the FOCAC platform to engage with all African countries. China has also supported Africa’s participation in multilateral platforms such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and helped African countries with their own initiative, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). China has also cooperated with many African countries on various issues of common concern, such as climate change as many African countries are taking a step in reaching carbon neutral by 2060 like China; public health as many countries have their own CDC, mainly offered by China during the pandemic; peace and security as many African countries are signing security cooperation with China as Tanzania and Mozambique did few months ago by signing and hosting security cooperation meetings with China’s People Liberation Army ; and digital transformation as some Chinese companies are investing in Africa’s 4 G and introducing 5 G technology to countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt, etc. 

1. Key-moments of previous FOCAC meetings: What Africa has gained so far? 

On September 2-4, 2018, the Seventh Ministerial Conference of FOCAC was held in Beijing. Many important personalities from Africa attended, such as heads of state and government, heads of delegation, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, ministers of foreign affairs and ministers in charge of economic cooperation, etc. In that meeting, China showed the world how Africa is rising and why it is important for China and Africa to cooperate in many sectors of development. On that FOCAC meeting back in 2018 for instance, China’s leaders and African delegates once again portrayed how important both Chinese and African governments regard mutual development. On that specific FOCAC meeting, numerous promises and pledges from China were made to Africa.

At every FOCAC summit since 2000, pledges are made from China to Africa. For instance, back in 2015, during the 6^th FOCAC meeting in South-Africa, President Xi pledged $ 60 billion package for assistance and loans to Africa. In 2018, during the 7^th FOCAC summit in Beijing, President announced another $ 60 billion package to support Africa’s development. However, it is important to note that the financial package was not in form of foreign aid, but rather was an interest-free loans, concessional loans, grants, etc. This is how the breakdown of the financial was set: $ 15 billion allocated for grants, interest-free loans and concessional loans; $ 20 billion allocated as credit lines; $ 10 billion as earmarked for a special fund for development financing; $ 5 billion allocated for a special fund for financing imports from Africa, and $ 10 billion for investment in the next three years after the summit to support all African countries in their own development programs. Since 2018, data from China’s foreign affairs shows that China kept its promise and delivered the package in full.

What is the difference between the package from 2015 and 2018? Many people still get these two packages mixed together, which should not be the case. The package from the 6^th summit in 2015 was mainly allocated to support China-Africa common development projects, especially the ones that were introduced two years earlier under the Belt and Road Initiative, as well some development goals that were introduced in earlier FOCAC meetings between 2000 and 2012. The package from the 7^th summit in 2018 was in consideration of supporting imports from Africa, especially boosting Africa’s agriculture section by allowing Africa’s agriculture products on China’s market. The results are being seen now in Changsha, China as many agriculture products from African such as avocados, mangoes, etc. are being seen in many expositions and China-Africa Economic Exposition held in Changsha every two or three years. The package supported the imports from Africa as many African leaders kept asking for a more balanced business between China and Africa, and China responded to the call as China is even giving import-free (up to 98%) to some of the products coming from African countries, such as coffee from Rwanda and Burundi, mangoes from Uganda, flowers from Kenya, etc.

Another worth mentioning of the FOCAC summits is what China and African countries set together as development goals to reach in the next three years after every summit. For instance, on the 7^th summit, China and Africa set ten major development targets to reach. In the 8^th summit, eight major initiatives of FOCAC over the next three years were highlighted by President Xi. On the 8^th summit held in Senegal back in 2021 was also successful. President Xi introduced nine inclusive development projects, some were similar to the eight major initiatives of the previous summit, and included areas like industrial promotion, infrastructure connectivity (many roads, bridges and railroads have been built in the last three years on the continent); trade facilitation (China kept its promises by supporting Africa’s imports and even encouraged Chinese companies to invest more on the continent); green development (Industrial zones have seen their openings in countries like Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, etc.); capacity building (China kept encouraging young Africans to apply for scholarships in different China’s universities); health care (China offered to Africa its first CDC building and it is operational now as it is the reason why many African countries are not being left behind because of the pandemic); people-to-people exchanges (many scholars from both China and Africa are holding academic conferences and Tink Tanks on a daily basis, like the one happened on March 8^th, 2024 in Dar es Salam, Tanzania) ; and peace and security (China has opened its very first military base in Djibouti, Africa). 

Another important thing that happened on a FOCAC summit is the implementation of the Beijing Action Plan (2019-2021). In this action plan, China and Africa engineered together key areas to cooperate, including agriculture, industrial capacity development, infrastructure development, tourism, investment and economic cooperation, trade, health care, education, environmental protection, anti-corruption, consular affairs, immigration, judiciary and law enforcement. Some areas seem to be similar, but at every level, there are some differences. On a closer look, these areas are critical to Africa’s development and could be a ticket to Africa’s rejuvenation.

2. What have been accomplished during FOCAC meetings?  

Many things have been achieved during FOCAC meetings. For instance, the 7^th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in September 2018 has opened a new chapter for the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), targeting to boost development of African participating countries in a targeted manner. The 7^th FOCAC summit adopted the “Beijing Declaration Toward an Even Stronger China-Africa Community with a Shared Future” and “the Beijing Action Plan (2019-2021)”.

These two initiatives pointed China and African countries in the right direction for their mutual cooperation. During the 7^th FOCAC summit, China pledged a financial support of US$ 60 billion, additional to the same amount that was pledged in the 6^th FOCAC summit in South Africa back in 2015 to support Africa’s development. With China’s financial support, many African countries are actually transitioning from “poor countries” to “developing countries”; from “receivers” to “creators”; and China’s investments in Africa have made the continent more attractive to other external investors like Russia, India, etc. as they are hloding similar summits with the African continent.  

Under the FOCAC, Africa’s economy changed positively. For instance, after the FOCAC implementation in 2000, Beijing has become Africa's largest trading partner, with bilateral trade volume reaching hundreds of billions of dollars annually. Under the FOCAC, China's investment in Africa spans various sectors, including energy, mining, agriculture, manufacturing, and construction. Many Chinese companies such as China Railway Construction Group, zoom lion among others, have established joint ventures, invested in industrial parks, and financed infrastructure projects, contributing to job creation, technology transfer, and economic diversification in Africa. 

3. Next FOCAC Summit in September 2024: What African countries can expect from the summit and what areas of development that need more collaboration?

From the foregoing, over the years, the FOCAC has gradually become an important platform for collective dialogue and an effective mechanism that is actually enhancing practical cooperation between China and African countries. However, the FOCAC should as well take into consideration how to address challenges that exist between China and Africa cooperation such as unbalanced trade, low industrialization, etc.

The next FOCAC will be held in Beijing in September 2024. The theme of this summit is “Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a shared Future”. African leaders are looking forward to attend such important summit as it is the only and rare occasion where Chinese President Xi has the opportunity to see his African allies and discuss together how to move forward, and especially how to secure China’s and Africa’s interests in global affairs.

On the coming 9^th FOCAC summit in September 2024, African countries should consider to focus on some key development areas and align their interests through the African Union and discuss them with China. These areas are such as:

Security and peace: Some African countries are still facing a certain security issue, some due to elections, and some due to terrorists’ groups such as ISIS or tribal combatants and rebels. It is a critical time for Africa to enhance its capacity to address the insecurity on the continent while seeking China’s support for peacekeeping, counter-terrorism and maritime security. During the coming FOCAC summit in September 2024, if there is a possibility to meet Chinese military personnel, this matter should be discussed as well, while keeping in mind that China is opened to the proposition of security and peace cooperation with the continent as China has already done with some African countries like Tanzania and Mozambique.

Global governance: African countries should come as one through the African Union and strengthen their voices and influence in global affairs, while working with China to reform the international system to make it more inclusive, and responsive to the needs and aspirations of all developing countries. African countries and China should join hands and strengthen South-South cooperation, open more cooperation opportunities with the global North, while keeping one voice on common interests, or the Global South’s interests. African countries should also collaborate with China on global challenges such as climate change, learn from China how to tackle efficiently negative effects of global warming.