Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinube (C) arrives at Beijing Capital Airport ahead of the Forum of Chine-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).
Photo credit: Greg Baker / POOL / AFP
Heads of State and Government from Africa have touched down in Beijing for the upcoming 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit. This meeting is more than just a series of discussions; it’s a chance to strengthen ties for the mutual benefit of both continents, China-Africa relations experts say.
Several leaders, including Nigeria’s president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Transitional President of Mali, Assimi Goïta, and transitional President of the Republic of Guinea, Mamadi Doumbouya, arrived in Beijing on Sunday to attend the summit, which is set to begin on Wednesday and run until Friday.
The FOCAC represents a platform where African countries can connect with one of their largest trade partners, China with a shared goal to enhance economic growth, trade, and investment. With Africa’s rapid development, collaborating with China continue to expand the opportunities for growth.
At the heart of the summit is the desire for stronger economic cooperation. Many African nations are rich in resources but often lack the means to develop them fully. The summit provides a platform to connect with one of their largest trade partners with a shared goal to enhance economic growth, trade, and investment.
With the arrival of African leaders in Beijing, the stage is set for a collaborative future, many believe. The summit is about more than signing agreements; it symbolises hope and opportunity, a Nigerian official in Beijing says.
With Africa’s rapid development, the collaboration with China offers numerous opportunities for further growth in an already expanding push for investments.
Despite some countries still facing domestic social and economic challenges, China has invested heavily in the continent to expand the reach of its soft power, diplomatic influence, and infrastructure initiatives to consolidate its interests and presence.
In one of its reports assessing the nature of Chinese financial assistance for the continent, the Boston University Global Development Policy Centre (BU GDPC) estimates that from 2000-2023, Chinese lenders provided 1,306 loans amounting to $182.28 billion to 49 African governments and seven regional borrowers.
According to the BU GDPC report, in 2023, Chinese lenders issued 13 new commitments with a value of $4.61 billion to eight countries and two regional financial institutions. This represents a rise in commitments since 2016 but far below the early years of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), in which cumulative commitments surpassed $10 billion annually.
Each African leader appears with a shopping list unique to the specific needs of their states. The Zambian president, Hakainde Hichilema, stated on his X account that he will be holding discussions on energy and food security, smart agriculture, water harvesting and rail transport. He adds that bilateral meetings with other Heads of State & industry leaders is also on the agenda.
The Malian delegation, led by Goïta, is expected to discuss strategic partnerships, economic cooperation, and potential support in various domains, including security and development
The Nigerian president, who is combining a state visit with his attendance of the Forum, will meet with President Xi Jinping and will hold meetings with Chinese business leaders on the sidelines of the Forum, according to sources within the Presidency.
On the agenda at the summit is climate change. African nations are among the hardest hit by its effects, facing droughts and rising sea levels. In 2021, China, along with 53 African countries and the African Union Commission (AUC), adopted the Declaration on China-Africa Cooperation on Combating Climate Change, emphasising China’s commitments to increase clean energy investment in Africa and to end overseas investment in new coal power projects.
China is not only Africa’s largest bilateral trading partner and one of its biggest sources of foreign aid, but is also home to more than 80% of the world’s renewable energy manufacturing. This makes the country uniquely positioned to support clean energy expansion and access in sub-Saharan Africa. Indeed, it’s already made strides in that direction.
Recently, the Malian government launched construction of a 100-megawatt solar power plant with Chinese partnership in the village of Safo, 20km northeast of the capital Bamako.
The partnership seeks to provide the country with sustainable power through renewable energy sources. Safo will be equipped with solar panels and will also include an energy storage system.
China has committed to shift its overseas renewable energy investments toward smaller-scale initiatives that prioritise social benefits. Its first major program under this new strategy — and a key initiative of the FOCAC — is the Africa Solar Belt.
A report by the World Resources Institute (WRI), explains that “the Program, which is supported by research and policy analysis from WRI, aims to provide CNY 100 million (around US$14 million) in public funds between 2024 and 2027 to supply 50,000 African households with solar home systems.
“It also aims to support interventions that can improve livelihoods of local populations, which could potentially include things like powering schools or healthcare with solar.”
Furthermore, the summit presents an excellent opportunity for Africa to learn from China’s advancements in sustainable technology.
On infrastructure, Africa has enormous needs. Poor roads, limited access to clean water, and unreliable electricity often impede economic growth. China has a wealth of experience in building infrastructure, from railways to power plants. The cooperation here is vital. China’s contribution to infrastructure development on the continent so far is evident.
Energy infrastructure development has been a priority for Chinese investment in Africa, supporting the construction of hydroelectric dams, 66,000 km of power transmission, thermal power plants, and renewable energy projects across the continent.
In the early to mid 2000s, the country invested heavily in the African rail sector, with financing commitments on the order of US$4 billion for this sector. These included rehabilitation of more than 1, 350 kilometres of existing railway lines and the construction of more than 1, 600 kilometres of new railroad. If the analysis of Chinese investments in the rail sector were to look further back, Chinese companies, over the last quarter century, have helped African countries build or upgrade more than 10,000 km of railways.
The country’s massive investment in road infrastructure has seen the construction of nearly 100,000 km of highways and roughly 1,000 bridges. The huge investments have also covered almost 100 ports.
It is not clear if the summit will provide a platform for those who have voiced their scepticism about the objectives of the Chinese on the continent and what they describe as the negative impacts of Chinese investments. However, these concerns will remain major points of discussion on the sidelines.
Chinese increasing interests in securing access to resources, trade, and military alliances and bases have been questioned. China’s involvement in countries with weak governance has fostered some anti-Chinese sentiment and opposition and there have been backlashes, which have provoked accusations of neo-colonialism and resource exploitation.
One of the main arguments raises concerns about the country’s domination through financial agreements, investment strategies, debt-trapping, and unfair investment policies, mostly leading to an increased dependency due to unequal trade and exploration of resources.
Advocates of the Chinese investment drive in Africa say the neo-colonialism assertions are implausible as China, however, has not imposed its governance model on any of the countries in Africa it has maintained an active relationship with. They admit that there is much negative campaigning against China, but insist that the claims do not consider the possibilities the China-Africa Partnership has already generated.
While the allegations repeat the usual criticisms against China’s “neo-colonialist designs”, debt trapping, corruption, employment of Chinese workers, and disregard for local human rights violations, they seem to overlook the country’s efforts to counteract anti-China sentiment and stimulate Chinese firms into positive action.
For example, some reports have highlighted Beijing’s active steps to modify its approach to retaining its African foothold, improving its knowledge of the internal politics of African countries and improving on its interactions.
As both continents work together, there is hope that the forum will pave the way for a renewed interest by the Chinese in increasing finance for major investments, but also create a channel for sharing technological knowledge that would provide a springboard for opening up productive capacities for Africa’s teeming young and educated human resource pool.
