9th FOCAC summit: A Further Demonstration of China’s commitment to Shared prosperity
By George Musiime
This year’s Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FoCAC) summit in Beijing further underscored China’s commitment to shared prosperity. This message was driven home through the keynote address of president Xi Jinping at the opening of the FoCAC summit earlier this month. In his speech, president Xi emphasised multiple key areas for China-Africa cooperation over the next three years. These included; agriculture, health, development and livelihood, green development, security et cetera. Moreover, all of these areas were in perfect alignment with the Africa’s aspiration of becoming a global powerhouse. And not just that, but also, they tied in well with the African Union’s (AU) Agenda 2063.
Central to the agenda for China-Africa cooperation set at the 2024 FOCAC in Beijing was building on past achievements of this friendship. China-Africa cooperation has already been addressing strategic challenges on the continent including infrastructure, industrialisation, food security, health, security etcetera. Moreover, many of these challenges have for long been bottlenecks in the continent’s pursuit of modernisation. Indeed these challenges needed addressing like yesterday. China through its cooperation with Africa has thus become a trailblazer in giving this much needed attention to these Cinderella-continental challenges. Therefore, President Xi’s address backed by China’s pledge of 360-billion-yuan in financial support was a sign of China’s commitment not only to driving shared prosperity but also building mutually beneficial and transformative China-Africa cooperation. Thus the agenda for China-Africa Cooperation set at the 2024 FOCAC is important not only because China and Africa account for one-third of the world’s population. It is also extremely important to Africa and particularly sub-Saharan Africa; a continent that is home to about 60% of global poverty.
Different scholars have tried to explain why China-African Cooperation has been on the rise over the years. Among them is Gyude Moore, a fellow at the Centre for Global Development. He explains China’s growing foothold in Africa by juxtaposing the western view of Africa with that of China. He contends that whereas the west views Africa as a problem needing to be solved, China perceived the continent as a place of enormous potential and opportunity. Hence, this and an appreciation of Africa’s place on the global stage is what informs our dealings and forms the bedrock of China-Africa cooperation .
Conversely , he contrasts this view with the Western view where Africa is seen as a problem needing a solution and a partner of lesser significance. This has also become a foundation for the preference of interference over intervention. It is this divergence of perception that he contends accounts for growing willingness by Africa to work with China. Even more important, China’s engagement with Africa is not imposed on Africa. Instead it is the outcome of aligned aspirations, interests and mutual friendship between the two partners. According to Mr. Moore, other than view Africa through a Rudyard Kipling lens of the “white man’s burden,” China chooses to view Africa as an equal partner. Indeed, other than exploit the opportunity for unilateral gain, China also works towards a mutually beneficial partnership with Africa.
In his address at the FOCAC summit, president Xi committed to 100% no-tariff treatment to imports from 33 African countries. In light of mutually beneficial cooperation, there is no better display of reciprocity than this. This is a practical move towards turning China’s big market into Africa’s big opportunity. Indeed, it would also positively impact on Africa’s participation in global trade. Therefore commitments under the action for trade and prosperity present huge prospects for Africa and make China the first to make such a commitment.
Relatedly, regarding the Global Security Initiative, the 9th FOCAC summit committed to partnership for common security. This is rooted deeply in China’s strong belief that common prosperity cannot occur in the absence of common peace and security. Indeed one of the major huddles on Africa’s road to progress has forever been peace and security or the lack thereof. Realising the significant gains under the BRI cooperation, guaranteeing that progress has become top of our list of most important objectives. In a world where security is a critical ingredient in development, the commitment of one-billion yuan in military grants, training for 6000 army, and 1000 police and law enforcement officers and exchanges will help to build capacity for peace and security on the continent. This will in turn fine-tune our capacity for modernisation as a continent.
Most importantly, we can not ignore the reality of today’s world; the growing competition between the West and China. While this might seem to create options, it also creates a need for Africa to evaluate outcomes and potential for outcomes alike. A wise word from Xi Zhongxun during the reform period was that words alone will not help our people . This is something that President Xi and China understands very well till today . Indeed there’s already visible and quantifiable benefits of China-Africa Cooperation all across the continent. Moreover the president’s keynote address made more than promises. It went as far as committing funds for the different action areas of China-Africa cooperation over the next 3 years.
Thus, from Africa looking inwards, president Xi Jinping’s keynote addressing at the 2024 was the blueprint for strengthening the thriving China Africa-friendship. It was Proof of how seriously china takes it cooperation with Africa. This agenda for China-Africa Cooperation will be the bridge that brings us yet another step closer to a modernised Africa, our aspirations as a continent and a better and more beneficial China-Africa.
The writer is a research fellow at the Sino-Uganda Research Centre
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