By Orçun Göktürk, Beijing / China
This year marked the 8th summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). The first summit of the Forum, which is held every three years, was in 2000. The Forum was widely attended. The leaders of 53 African countries, the chairman of the African Union Commission, the UN secretary general and heads of various international organizations gathered in Beijing. The theme of the summit was “Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future.”(1)
China and African countries enjoy high-level relations, both politically and economically. In 2023, China-Africa trade reached $282 billion and China maintained its position as Africa’s largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years.(2) It should also be noted that China has allocated more than $120 billion in infrastructure projects for Africa in the last 10 years through the Belt and Road Initiative.(3)
FOCAC, short for “Forum on China-Africa Cooperation”, has received little attention in the Western world. The once oppressed and improving countries are coming together as FOCAC, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and BRICS+.
“Shoulder to shoulder against imperialism and exploitation”
The summit was held at the Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen Square in the heart of Beijing. In his opening speech, Chinese President Xi Jinping said, “China and Africa account for one-third of the world’s population. Without our modernization, there will be no global modernization.”(3) Xi also pledged various forms of assistance to help Africa’s development, including a 10-point proposal to extend China’s influence beyond traditional trade, infrastructure and healthcare.
The final declaration signed after the forum made clear statements against imperialism. “We have fought shoulder to shoulder against imperialism, colonialism and hegemonism, and we have advanced hand in hand on the path of development, revitalization and modernization,” it said. The same declaration said, “In the future, China and Africa’s 2.8 billion people will strengthen their cooperation, which will certainly give new impetus to the cooperation between the ‘Global South’ and open up new horizons for building a community with a common future for humanity.”
Singaporean diplomat Kishore Mahbubani, former UN Security Council President and Singaporean diplomat, who was among the invited guests at the summit, said in an interview with Chinese media before the Forum, “The coming decades may belong to the Global South.”(4)
Xi’s 10-point roadmap
Following Xi’s 10-point proposal at the summit, the “Beijing Action Plan” for the forum on China-Africa Cooperation was announced. This action plan will cover a 3-year period from 2025 to 27, until the next forum takes place.
The first part of this 10-point plan, which is also included in the final declaration, includes economic and financial support for the Black Continent. Accordingly, China announced that it will provide $51 billion in financial support to Africa over the next three years. Other highlights are as follows:
– Enhancing cooperation in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative
– Acceleration of agricultural and industrial development in Africa
– Support for women and youth talent development and strengthening in Africa
The other item in the final declaration, which will be very controversial in the West and is already being discussed, is “military cooperation”. Accordingly, China will provide 1 billion RMB ($141 million) in military grants to Africa to support African countries in strengthening their armed forces, train 6,000 military personnel from African countries and invite 500 young African officers to visit China and conduct joint exercises, training and patrols. This shows that the continent’s economic and social development is being considered in more detail in the security framework.
Chinese investments and debates in Africa
At the summit, the Chinese side made a detailed presentation of its investments in Africa in recent years. Accordingly, China has made significant investments in the continent to build or develop nearly 100 thousand kilometers of roads and highways, more than 10 thousand kilometers of railways, nearly a thousand bridges and a hundred ports.
Unlike Western imperialism, which has invaded, plundered and terrorized the continent for centuries, China’s investments have not hindered Africa’s development. Despite this, there are many in the West who claim that China is conducting “debt trap” diplomacy in Africa.
We can say that China has taken a contrary stance to Western governments in its investments in Africa. China characterizes its loans as mutually beneficial cooperation between developing countries and promises not to interfere in the domestic politics of the countries it lends to. For example, in 2021, China canceled 23 interest-free loans to 17 African countries and signed a zero-tariff agreement for 98% of 12 African countries’ exports to China.
In fact, some African countries were expecting it at this summit. However, China allegedly refused to do so due to the impact of its internal economic problems (slowing economic growth, deflation and unemployment problems) and the increasingly complex situation of world geopolitics. Instead, China has pledged a 3-year, $51 billion investment and financial support to the continent. Some economists say this signals a shift towards a more restrained and pragmatic lending policy that focuses on trade relations rather than debt-driven infrastructure investment. Chinese experts say “it could be a more sustainable and mutually beneficial strategy”. Still, it is worth noting that several African countries have rightly raised concerns about the terms of Chinese loans and some of the projects financed by China.
China appears to prioritize the growth of African exports, especially in agriculture and natural resources. Such an approach aligns Africa’s economic development goals with China’s need for secure access to resources, especially in areas such as energy security.
In the end, not only Chinese officials, but even the most famous Western institutions do not take the “Debt Trap” debate very seriously. The Chatham House report on China’s investments in Africa in 2022, which examined China’s investments in Africa in great detail, found that China, with 12% of the total external debt of African countries, lagged far behind Western organizations and states. (4)
The charter of sovereignty of states
In relations with Africa, the independence and institutionalization problems of the continent’s states naturally force them to walk on an asymmetrical track in their foreign relations. This leads to the fact that China, Türkiye, which has recently increased its influence on the continent, or Russia, which has deep ties with the region since the Soviet era, has the initiative in its relations with Africa rather than the other way around.
Due to its abundance of natural resources such as oil, gas, minerals and agricultural products, Africa has been the main driver of competition between the Great Powers. But the imperialist camp, led by the US and France, has no future on the continent. African countries will continue to take advantage of this great power dynamic to attract investment, technology transfer and faster economic development. Nevertheless, African countries need to engage in more symmetrical relations in the international arena and develop an effective strategy based on their own domestic interests.
Despite the ever-increasing outlook for economic growth in recent years, African countries have persistent governance and stability challenges. They need to secure these issues in order to consolidate growth and development in the continent’s politics and economy. China’s driving and supporting role here, in contrast to Western countries, is historic. Africa still has a long way to go in this century to overcome its current challenges of poverty, income inequality, unemployment and inadequate infrastructure to sustain its economic development. In addition, there are other issues such as low literacy, infectious diseases and labor quality.
As a continent that accounts for nearly 20% of the world’s population and contributes 3% to the world economy, it is up to the African leadership and peoples to create an example of joint development on the basis of its relations with China, but with greater initiative on its part. The main condition for this lies in an Africa that has been freed from imperialist exploitation and dependency relations and whose states have gained full independence.
References
(1) FOCAC (2024). “The 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation”. https://2024focacsummit.mfa.gov.cn/eng/.
(2) World Economic Forum. 2024. “Annual Meeting of the New Champions, Dalian 2024”. https://cdn.jwplayer.com/previews/IQwOSr5d-ncRE1zO6.
(3) 中国外交 (2023). “大变局 | ‘一带一路’倡议不是天上画饼_习近平外交思想和新时代中国外交”. 27 October 2023. http://cn.chinadiplomacy.org.cn/2023-10/27/content_116778563.html.
(4)“习近平同非洲朋友的故事 – 新华社客户端”. (2024). https://h.xinhuaxmt.com/vh512/share/12169880?homeshow=1&%3Bnewstype=1001.
(5) FOCAC (2024). Keynote speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping at opening ceremony of 8th FOCAC ministerial conference. (6) OBE, A. V., Butler, C., & Jie, Y. (2022). The response to debt distress in Africa and the role of China.