The Next Phase of Africa’s Development Featured at FOCAC Summit in Beijing

The Ninth Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) on Sept. 4-6 in Beijing should draw the attention of public opinion, media and government leaders as an event that has major implications for Europe. Leaders from 53 countries plus the African Union will deliberate with Chinese leaders on the next phase of Africa’s development, driven by the Belt and Road Initiative. According to the Foreign Ministry, it will be “largest diplomatic event China has hosted in recent years”.

At a briefing for Chinese and foreign media held Aug. 23, Vice Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong noted that “The leaders of China and Africa will discuss major cooperation strategies, explore cooperation plans together and strengthen exchanges on state governance, which will provide important guidance for the development of the Forum in the next stage”.

That these are no empty words is underscored by the figures on Africa-China trade published two weeks ago: China’s imports of African goods reached $60.1 billion in the first half of this year, up 14% year-on-year. In 2023, China-Africa trade reached a record high of $282.1 bn, as Chinese imports of African nuts surged by 130%, with imports of vegetables up by 32% and those of flowers up by 14%, according to the Xinhua News Agency. This is the result of Beijing’s policy of promoting agro-industrial development in African countries.

“While agricultural trade plays a crucial role, the long-term development of Africa hinges more strategically on cooperation in industrialization and emerging industries“, wrote Global Times in its Aug. 21 editorial. “By deepening cooperation in the industrial chain, China has helped Africa upgrade its level of industrialization and promote diversified economic development. These acts of collaboration have laid a solid foundation for Africa’s sustainable development and export competitiveness, while elevating China-Africa economic and trade cooperation to new heights.”

The Global Times editorial notes that investments by Chinese firms have moved from resource extraction to manufacturing, infrastructure construction, the digital economy and labor training. In terms of infrastructure, China “has assisted in the construction and enhancement of over 10,000 kilometers of railways, nearly 100,000 kilometers of roads, almost 1,000 bridges and nearly 100 ports in Africa. These infrastructure projects have significantly improved connectivity, economic and social development, as well as industrialization and modernization across the continent.”

Clearly, it would be in the interest of European nations to join efforts in this mission, rather than pushing “derisking” and similar anti-China policies, while complaining about mass immigration from Africa, but doing nothing to eliminate the root cause of the problem.