Tag: FOCAC

FOCAC 2024: Xi’s Speech Attests to China’s Commitment to a Community of Common Prosperity and a Shared Future

Posted on By Allawi Ssemanda

Dear Editor, on Thursday, September 5, 2024, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a 10-minute keynote address at the opening ceremony of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit in Beijing, China. In the address entitled; “Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a Community with a Shared Future,” President Xi explained that “the friendship between China and Africa transcends time and space, surmounts mountains and oceans, and passes down through generations,” and pledged China would support African countries’ endeavours in different sectors with approximately $50.70 billion.

Explaining the 24 years of the FOCAC, Xi emphasized that “China has advanced forward hand in hand with our African brothers and sisters in the spirit of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith…” He explained that China and African countries “…stand shoulder to shoulder with each other to firmly defend our legitimate rights and interests as once-in-a-century changes sweep across the world.” This he emphasized is making the two sides “stronger and more resilient together by riding the tide of economic globalization, delivering tangible benefits to billions of ordinary Chinese and Africans.”

Explaining that “modernization is an inalienable right of all countries,” Xi regretted that “the Western approach to it has inflicted immense sufferings on developing countries.” He pledged China will continue working with African countries and support the continent’s development efforts as laid out in the African Union’s Agenda 2063, which he noted will accelerate the Global South’s transformation. Explaining that “China and Africa account for one-third of the world population, Xi observed that “without our modernization, there will be no global modernization.” He thus pledged that “China is ready to deepen cooperation with Africa in industry, agriculture, infrastructure, trade and investment.”

To be specific, President Xi pledged, “In the next three years, China will work with Africa to take the following ten partnership actions for modernizations to deepen China-Africa cooperation and spearhead the Global South modernization.” The ten partnership actions will focus on; Mutual Learning among Civilizations, Trade Prosperity, Industrial Chain Cooperation, Partnership Action for Connectivity, Development Cooperation, Health sector cooperation, and supporting African countries’ Agriculture and Livelihoods. The others are; supporting People-to-People Exchanges, Green Development, and the Partnership Action for Common Security.

When critically analyzed, the ten areas President Xi mentioned that China would work with African areas “deepen China-Africa cooperation and spearhead modernizations,” if implemented, will not only reignite Africa’s economic growth but also drive sustainable development.

For example, President Xi listed Partnership Action for Connectivity; specifically, noting that “China is prepared to carry out 30 infrastructure connectivity projects in Africa, promote together high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and put in place a China-Africa network featuring land-sea links and coordinated development.” China’s offer to further support Africa’s infrastructural development is a welcome move as the continent is still faced with a shortage of funding in this critical sector. He also mentioned Partnership Action for Green Development stressing that “China is ready to launch 30 clean energy projects in Africa, create a China-Africa forum on peaceful use of nuclear technology…” Put differently, Xi promised to cooperate with the continent on nuclear technology which will tackle a power deficit which has been cited as one of the major challenges delaying Africa’s industrializations efforts. A study by the WB titled “Why we need to close the infrastructure gap in sub-Saharan Africa,” underscores this, stressing that infrastructure funding gaps are hindrances to Africa’s economic take-off. The African Development Bank (ADB) notes that to reduce the continent’s infrastructure funding gaps, Africa needs a of budget $130-$170 billion annually. Therefore, China’s support in such a sector is spot-on.

On the Partnership action for development cooperation, and the partnership action for agriculture and livelihoods, President Xi pledged China’s readiness to “implement 1,000 “small and beautiful” livelihood projects. “China will provide Africa with RMB1 billion yuan (approximately $140 million) in emergency food assistance, build 100,000 projects of standardized agriculture demonstration areas in Africa,” stressed President Xi. These programs if implemented will help the continent in addressing key challenges. It is important to note that China has already been supporting livelihood programs in several African countries, Uganda inclusive. For instance, under the arrangement of the South-South Cooperation (SSC) project between China, Uganda and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), China has injected over 30 million USD is Uganda’s agriculture sector and livelihood programs.

On the Partnership Action for Trade Prosperity, Xi promised to ensure trade between the two sides improves, stressing that “China will voluntarily and unilaterally open its market wider. We have decided to give all LDCs having diplomatic relations with China, including 33 countries in Africa, zero-tariff treatment for 100 per cent tariff lines.” This in many ways will continue to support the continent’s social and economic development. Already, China for the last 15 years has been Africa’s largest trading partner. As of the end of 2023, the trade volume between China and Africa reached 282.1 billion USD.

President Xi further proposed to African leaders that “bilateral relations between China and all African countries having diplomatic ties with China be elevated to the level of strategic relations, and that the overall characterizations of China-Africa relations be elevated to an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.”

In conclusion, looking at China’s record of fulfilling its pledges, there is no doubt Beijing sees African countries as partners and the cooperation between the two is indeed guided by principles of mutual respect, real results and win-win cooperation. Therefore, as President Xi noted, China and Africa should rally their populations together to become a “powerful force” and write a “new chapter in peace, prosperity and progress.” This is a sure way for Africa to realize her development goals.

Dr. Allawi Ssemanda is a Senior Research Fellow at the Development Watch Centre.

The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation 9: The Journey Over The Last Two Decades

Posted on By Musanjufu Benjamin Kavubu

From September 4th to 6th  the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) will take place in Beijing. This comes at a very critical time for South South-Cooperation, the world economy has slowed down mainly because of the impacts of the last Pandemic and the ongoing 54 major conflicts around the world that affect Africa and China’s supply chain on the Geopolitical discourse.

FOCAC 9 comes at a time when African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is taking root and its backbone the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in many forms makes a decade milestone. The FOCAC summit also comes at a time when the BRICS have become formidable on the global scale and Africa is now very much involved in the new format that is driving multipolarity.

In many aspects, FOCAC 9 will be a momentous summit, in the year 2000 the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation started in Beijing with a ministerial meeting and it was followed by multi-year efforts by African diplomats to formalize the new relationship, in 2003 FOCAC 2 was hosted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Africa’s political capital and China announced the first Zero-tariff trade measures for Africa. It also marked the first time cultural exchange started being a target area. In 2006 FOCAC moved back to Beijing and it was held at summit level resulting in a $5 billion in financing from China that was geared toward agricultural exchange as a focus area and in 2006 the China-Africa Development Fund was also put in place.

The next FOCAC was back in the African continent in 2009 in Sharm el-Sheikh Egypt with more formalization of the cooperation area, with greater attention on the African development agenda including training and there was $10 billion in funding that was put in place for the Continent.  FOCAC 5 was in Beijing in 2012 and with a number of conflicts largely fuelled by Western interests on the African continent and posing as a stumbling block for development, peace and security was the focal area of cooperation and China put in place $ 20 Billion in funding the endeavour.

In Johannesburg South Africa in 2015 FOCAC embraced the famous Belt and Road Initiative of President Xi that has seen infrastructural developments across the continent and the initial investment that was put in place at that SUMMIT by China was $ 69 billion in funding and it’s fruits are evident today across the Continent, from ports on the East African coast to the Standard Gauge Rail that snakes its way into the interior and new road networks like the Kampala-Entebbe Express highway.

As a tradition the next event in 2018 was in Beijing and the formal integration of the FOCAC into the BRI, agricultural modernisation was the key area of cooperation and more $ 60 Billion in funding was put in place.

FOCAC 8 was special and it was in Dakar Senegal in 2021 happening at the tail end of the COVID-19 Pandemic and it was a semi-virtual event. This saw health and inter-parliamentary diplomacy as Focus areas. And for this meeting there was no single funding package; instead the $ 40 billion put in place was to be spread across a wide range of different categories.

It’s at this back foot that we head into the 9th FOCAC on the 4th of September 2024 in Beijing and we expect agricultural trade for Africa’s part to be the focus point. Agritech cooperation is something that is lacking on the African continent and China has the resources and experience to make this end. Over the past years, diversification through Africa exporting to China for food security purposes will most likely take priority at FOCAC 9 as Africa seeks to move up the value chain. Africa’s agricultural potential production still has space for expanding and more countries can find thriving markets in China. China is already doing a great job in this aspect. To support Africa’s agricultural modernisation, Beijing has sent over 500 agricultural experts to Africa and provided more than 9,000 training opportunities for agricultural experts from the continent.

Other key areas are going to be climate resilience and we have seen China in the past collaborate with countries to develop satellite systems aimed at improving weather forecasts and other forms of scanning to make agriculture more climate-resilient.

As Africa now seeks to export more to China, there is a need to industrialize and Chinese firms are going to be asked to come into the African arena at FOCAC since the BRI has laid the groundwork for that to happen smoothly.

People to people exchange through training and the many scholarships will be another major focus area for cooperation at FOCAC, technology transfer and employment pipeline will take center stage and many African delegations heading to Beijing will be products of China in terms of education.

China’s partnership with Africa is crucial for our infrastructure, and energy sectors. FOCAC isn’t just about building relationships on a diplomatic level, it’s a strategic platform that’s shaping Africa’s role on the global stage.

Over the years, FOCAC has evolved from focusing mainly on economic ties in 2000 to becoming a broader platform for Africa-China relations. Now, Africa is setting the agenda when it comes to working with China, especially in areas like green energy, our youthful population, and our rich mineral resources. China plays a key role in helping us with mass electrification and industrialisation through technology transfer and this is the basis of South-South cooperation.

The September summit comes at a time when the trade between China and Africa is booming. For the last 15 years in a row, China has been Africa’s largest trading partner. In 2023, the trade between the two sides reached a hooping USD 282.1 billion. As we look ahead to FOCAC 2024 on the 4th of September,  this moment is set to be a critical time in our relationship as Africa with China. It has the potential to bring significant progress in trade, industrial development, and sustainable cooperation. For Africa, the key to long-term benefits will be our ability to shape and influence the agenda in this partnership.

The writer is a  research fellow at the Development Watch Centre.

Navigating the minefield of negative media punchlines on China-Africa relations will take forming our own opinions

Posted on By Musiime George

As Africans, we cannot continue to be a people that turn on our own because we have outsiders urging us on to do so. We are as human, as the next human trying to help us determine our destiny. Unfortunately, to use the words of one notable Son of Africa Dr. Kaihura Nkuba, the biggest obstacle to Africa’s progress is “the riddle of who we truly are” and to some this, all we need is to build our people’s confidence in being African and taking pride in it. Only then shall we be able to think for ourselves and to trust our choices; that we are able to make the right choices for our people and ourselves. As sociologists argue, he who controls your langauge of discourse your reality! History has it that we have already lost to the ploys of divide and conquer in the past. Moreover, albeit being able to lift the heavy boot of colonialism from our neck at independence, we were not able to totally free ourselves, as many of us remain prone to being turned into marionettes; our opinions swayed easily by manipulating a few strings by some who relentlessly attempts to influence the course of our future.

When it comes to Sino-Africa relations, it is no doubt that China presents Africa with a uniquely suitable development partner who understands the distinctive problems of the continent and its people given our shared history. Yet commentary originating from without is often times punctuated by denunciations that echo notions such as resource exploitation, developmental debt-trap diplomacy, corruption, dictatorship and neo-colonialism etcetera. What is more is that, unless we take the initiative to rationalize the spirit underpinning the conception of such opinions, we are likely to be misled and consequently pitted against arguably, Africa’s best bet when it comes to development partnerships and all that  to our own detriment.

One such opinion is the negative impact of Confucius institutes (CIs) across Africa, which critics associate with a tactful push of Chinese soft power and influence over Africa. Since the establishment of the first CI in Kenya in 2005, many more have followed with the aim providing an understanding of the Chinese culture and language to many Africans. This has in turn laid the necessary groundwork for the growing cultural interaction between the African continent and China. For example, by 2018, during the FOCAC conference in Beijing, China committed to making available 50,000 government scholarships to African students as well as 50,000 opportunities for seminars and workshops to train more professionals in a diversity of fields. All this serve to strengthen one of the key pillars of China-Africa relations, which is the people-to-people exchange. Therefore, CIs do not act as a tool for imposing Chinese culture in the old assimilation fashion as critics baselessly claim; but rather serve to build a bridge for the exchange of knowledge, culture and expertise between China and Africa.

This is in line with the Chinese diplomacy principle of bolstering people-to-people exchange between China and rest of the world focusing on relations that are not prejudiced or relations  where one-entity projects its superiority over the other. Conversely, these are relations built on mutual understanding and camaraderie.  Such should be the basis upon which Africa relations must be built especially at a time when we are looking to take a step into the future; away from the mound of bottlenecks, the continent has faced against a backdrop of unfair dealings where Africa has engaged as the lesser party. Of course, China understands this as a fundamental cornerstone to progressive diplomatic relations with Africa as emphasized in their foreign policy. The Chinese approach is from a position of awareness that not only Africa needs China but China needs Africa as well if we are both to achieve our development goals. As such, China relations with Africa are hinged on the understanding that both parties are Partners of equal significance and nothing but a win-win cooperation. Moreover, as we move towards improved diplomatic collaboration aided in part by the work of the Confucius institutes, we realize an increased potential for extending the chain of linked benefits. As diplomatic collaboration avenues are expanded, so are development partnerships both in the public private sectors for both parties. This in turn forms a sound basis for a surge in trade and investments, the one thing that Africa needs more than anything at the moment.

Therefore, to emphasize cultural and language exchange as a tool for galvanizing Chinese soft power over Africa while ignoring the role of language as a cornerstone of human interaction and communication as emphasized by a 2023 publitard article titled “The Role of Language in Global Collaboration” and a key part in the broader jigsaw puzzle that is global cooperation is to say the least intellectual dishonesty. Even more important is the emphasis on mutually beneficial China-Africa relations stressed in a document titled “China’s African Policy” which also highlights actionable steps to this end.  According to this policy paper, the five key aspects of the China-Africa relations are Sincerity, Equality, Mutual benefit, Solidarity, and common development focusing on the fundamental benefits of both the African and Chinese people.

Certainly, this is not to say that this is exactly how things are going to happen in principle but the language and cultural exchange being built under the flagship of the Confucius Institutes is a key ingredient in putting in place an integral element on the soft infrastructure such as the people-to-people exchange necessary for China-Africa relation. And it should be the work of all; governments, Independent thinkers and every forward-thinking African to debunk the punchy news headlines and social media bites aimed at painting the negative image of China-Africa Relations and the future for Africa.

George Musiime is a research fellow at the Sino-Uganda Research Centre.

FOCAC’S 2022-24 Dakar Action Plan: Where Do the Women and Youths Lie?

Posted on By Admin

It is every country’s aspiration to secure a stable, developmental, and sustainable spot on the international political and socio-economic equilibrium. Often times, the pursuit of these aspirations are hindered by usually foreseeable circumstances most of which have an imperialistic identity. In the same pursuit, a few countries manage to evade the swarm of conflict, not spontaneously but they eventually overcome. The incidental factors that spark this sort of triumph can secure a moment for discussion at a later convenient period. This moment’s topical focus is as to what happens when these countries get to the top. Rise and immerse others? Or rise and lift others? China is a focal point of choice. To immerse, or to lift!

A unifying bloc (for China and Africa relations) was formed in Beijing, and is known the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. Following the China-Africa Consultative Forum, when it was first formed in 2000, criticism rang from all corners. The formation of this cooperation had joined the few international diplomacy blocs. It was a potential threat (as thought at the time) to the Western domination. It issued alternative policy direction to a traditional modus operandi. Like a few other attempts that had sunk miserably, this new born was to stand the proverbial test of time. As of now, it’s now 21 years and counting. The initial number of flag-off members has within that time expanded and it’s promising to add, that there are prospective members along the way.

The tradition has been holding a ministerial conference after a period of 3 years. The recent such ministerial conference was held in November, 2021, in Senegal’s capital of Dakar. Much was discussed, more was agreed upon, but there’s something worthy to note out of that ministerial conference. The needs, aspirations, and the goals have since kept alternating compared to very first ministerial conference. These needs and objectives have been inspired by the changing times. Whereas the founding principles of this diplomacy remain intact, the mode of achieving these goals and cropping of new regional and international challenges haven’t been constant. Two of the most interesting highlights of the recent FOCAC ministerial conference were the concerns on “Youth and Women,” and the “Digital Economy.”

In numerous countries, perhaps world over, women were greatly discriminated at peak levels in the recent centuries. For most African countries, sadly, this still happens on great scales, at a time where someone would think that such vices and regrettable events are only but a tale. The youth, on the other hand, are hardly supported by their respective governments in their pursuit to make the world a better place. These two interest groups are often times victims of uneven distribution of resources. The impacts are realized in the deplorable standards of living, and uneven spreading of wealth. The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation for the past 6 years has been committed to realizing the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, specifically agenda 5 on realizing ‘gender equality’ and agenda 10 on ‘reducing inequalities’.

The Dakar Action Plan adopted under the ‘Culture and People-to-people’ exchanges chapter in which China and Africa FOCAC members pledged to keep strengthening the already present cooperation and future exchanges in advancing equality in gender. On the top list was empowerment of women. The two sides resolved on tenable solutions to this being through women’s dialogues by supported by all responsible bodies in these member states, exchanges especially among the women startup and seasonal entrepreneurs. Seminars both locally and internationally have been supported by China such as the ‘Happy Campus Projects’ and the Child Health and Maternal Healthcare programs to which over 25,000 women participants from the FOCAC developing countries benefitted from trainings on modern healthcare methods.

China is a serving member to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women whose agenda is well laid out as of the sustainable development goals (SDG’s). This identity is a statement that its ideals are buried in equitable development. That China is worthy of guiding, advisory, and responsive partner state. The country’s resolve in promotion of women’s rights and elevation of their social and economic status has been on for years and it’s not surprising that in 1995, it hosted the Fourth World Conference on Women. There’s more to learn from other FOCAC member states from this resilience and the greatest expectation is policy formulation and implementation by these states.

The youth (in all forms) are equally pivotal to future success in these states. The national and international statistical analysis has showed. Authoritatively for the Republic of Uganda, China’s diplomatic relations and exchange programs have slightly been effective at addressing the unemployment problem. The Belt and Road Initiative being the greatest driver. The scholarship programs by the Chinese government to Ugandan scholars have been thus fulfilling at equipping the beneficiaries with the modern skills and knowledge of new technologies. The Chinese founded industries in Uganda’s scattered industrial parks, revolutionary agricultural methods at Kapeeka, Oil mining activities by CNOOC in the Albertine region, infrastructural construction projects, to state the least. Just last week, CNOOC announced completion of 56 modern houses which will be given to Ugandans in Albertine region as part of their compensation for land where CNOOC carrying out oil exploration. Also, the company is offering employment opportunities to Ugandan youth.

The downside is that the question of the disabled women and youth (widely) is yet to be answered. In practice, the intervention projects basically addressing this special group are more through short-term aid, than they should be permanent at securing long-term effects such as financial stability. Perhaps, the policy formulators who are able to read this should heed to the call. The bright light is that the Dakar Action Plan recognized this inequity and that’s a positive outlook. Now, than ever in the FOCAC relations, the youth and women have gained more attention. This is good progress, but more efforts by member states are still required in addressing the challenges that still linger beneath. Hopefully, the exchanges among these countries will keep yielding more and more.

Alan Collins Mpewo is a Research Fellow, Development Watch Center

 

Building a Community With a Shared Future: A Liberal view of Sino-Uganda Relations

Posted on By Daniel Balongoofu

To understand Sino-Uganda relations and Sino-Africa relations in general, the role of China to the economic development of Uganda can be best understood by evoking liberalism as a profound theory in understanding mainstream international relations. Today, mutual benefit philosophy and common prosperity are central in when describing the relations between Kampala and Beijing and broadly, Sino-Africa cooperation. It should be noted that the two countries have enjoyed fruitful relations that have fostered economic development in Uganda. Sadly, and arguably due global politics, some Sino-Africa skepticist especially in Global north often view Sino-Uganda and broadly Sino-Africa relations in colonial motifs which definitely is wrong and miss presentation of historical facts since China has never colonized any country!

While it is true, that the end game of international relations is fostering selfish interests, it is now common knowledge that with China’s philosophy of common prosperity, China’s relations with other countries like Uganda is purely not selfish but a win-win cooperation which Beijing firmly believe is key in ensuring and building a community with shared prosperity for mankind.

China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a vivid example show casing the win-win nature of relations Uganda and Africa in general are enjoying with China. It should be noted that BRI mothers lots of projects aiming at mutual benefit of the two sides. Through infrastructure development, BRI is connecting Asia with Africa, Middle East, Europe and the Americas. This in many ways will and in some countries is already facilitating transportation of goods and services. With expansion of Entebbe international airport near complete, Uganda is one of many countries already enjoying fruits of BRI. Also, a recent report by the Africa Policy Institute noted that since the BRI was initiated proposed in 2013, China has boasted African countries’ infrastructure by funding modern infrastructure projects such as railways, roads, ports, dams, industries, and digital connectivity, injecting vitality in the region. These projects also left thousands of Africans getting employment opportunities, sparking economic growth in the long run.

Giving example of Kenya, Africa Policy Institute report pointed at several multiplier effects of Kenya’s China funded and constructed 670-kilometer modern Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) connecting the port of Mombasa and the inland port of Naivasha. The Ethiopia-Djibouti’s standard gauge railway which connects landlocked Ethiopia to Djibouti port also constructed under BRI also improved transport in the region. The Chinese-built 752.7-km line recorded about 86.13 million U.S. dollars in revenue in 2021, which is up 37.5% compared to 2020 revenue collections.

In production and industry sector, Chinese investments in Uganda have greatly boasted Uganda’s capacity. For example, today Uganda boasts of a number of industrial parks that are contributing to the country’s economic growth and development. Industrial parks such as in Namanve, Kapeeka, and Mbale have liberated Uganda from losing foreign exchange in purchasing commodities that were not produced in Uganda. These parks have also contributed to skill enrichment of Ugandans who are employed there! The goods being products of high tech ensuring good quality, Uganda can also favorably compete at the regional market brining more foreign exchange to the country

Cooperation being at the core of China-Uganda relations, it has been evident in the construction of infra-structures for example the hospitals like the China-Uganda friendship hospital in Naguru.

Liberalism understood as cooperation in this case is evident in the education and cultural exchange program as part of relations. Education and culture being at the core of negotiations at the Beijing summit in 2020 it’s absolutely evident that the matter is centric of China-Uganda relations. Through the Confucius Institute at Makerere university, it should be noted that the institute has a memorandum of understanding between Xiangtan university, an institution in Hunan province in China which offers 30 scholarships annually to Ugandan students.

In terms of Trade, the good cooperation between China and Uganda has seen Uganda gain from trading with China. In his book: Introducing Liberalism in International Relations Theory, Jeffrey W Meiser emphasizes the role of good relations between countries if favorable trading conditions are to be realized. It is not a surprise that China has been working to increase trade quotas to Uganda and entire African continent as a way of ensuring both sides benefit from their cooperation. Also, for over a decade, China has always been one of not only Uganda’s but many of African countries’ foreign direct investments. A report by the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade that analysed trade between the states with statistics in the year 2020 shows that Uganda exports quiet a number of products to the Chinese market that include oilseed, oleagic fruits, grain seed, fruits, plastic, wood products, gums and so many others that totally amounted to US$39.61million. Therefore, with this important aspect in economic growth, Uganda’s economic growth has been greatly fueled by diverse trade the two countries guided by China’s philosophy of win-win cooperation as Beijing works with other countries to build a community with shared prosperity for mankind as well as common development.

By Balongoofu Daniel is a Junior Research Fellow with Development Watch Centre, a Foreign Policy Think Tank.

China-Africa Relations: What to expect in 2022 and beyond.

Posted on By Allawi Ssemanda

The year 2021 ended on a very good note for African countries in context of Sino-Africa relations with Beijing showing readiness and commitment to double down its development support and cooperation to African countries.

Looking at Action Plan for the year 2022-2024 produced from November 2021 Forum on China-Africa Co-operation (FOCAC) ministerial conference held Senegal, it is clear that China is ready to increase its development support to African countries. One can also confidently argue that this Action Plan which details how China and African countries will co-operate in the next three years will highly succeed considering the fact that it was generated through consensus which reflects China’s relationship with African countries – mutual respect and the partnership of equals!

The nine areas identified in this action plan namely; peace and security, digital innovation, promotion of trade, people-to-people relations, promotion of investments in African countries, supporting medical and health programs, poverty reduction, supporting agricultural programs, green development, and capacity building are all key to African countries economic and sustainable development.

Despite striking similarities in some sections of 2018-2021 action plan, the 2022-24 action plan has packages that if well implemented will spur economic, social and sustainable development.

For example, the 2022-2024 action plan has a package of $40 billion financial commitments of which $10 billion will be invested in specific sectors, namely; manufacturing industries, agriculture and digital economy. Aware that the 2018-2021 action plan did not specify which sectors would benefit, this time workplan singles out sectors to benefit from China’s partnership.

Also, in this workplan, Beijing earmarked $10 of her International Monterey Fund (IMF) drawing rights share to assist development in African countries, $10 billion will go to supporting trade with aim of boosting African countries exports to China a development expected to increase volume of China’s imports from African countries to a whopping $300 billion while $10 billion has been set aside to facilitate credit lines to African financial institutions to be accessed by several African countries.

Considering effects of covid-19 pandemic on global economy which saw major economies growth reduce with China’s growing at 2.3% in 2020 which is the lowest since 1976, China committing $40bn to African countries is evidence of China’s commitment to support her allies.

Fighting Covid-19 Pandemic Together.

The 2021 FOCAC ministerial came at a time when the world is battling Covid-19 – the worst pandemic of our times which has devastated the world for two years and its defeat remains elusive, with over 326-million people infected, and claimed lives of over 5.54 million people.

In all this uncertainty, using their financial muscle, Western Countries chose vaccine nationalism-buying almost all produced vaccines on markets, and leaving poor and developing countries especially in Africa with less no vaccines, putting the continent far from the needed 60% vaccination for its population needed for herd immunity. Even with Covax facility, today, only 14% of African countries have vaccinated their citizens, 76% in Canada and the U.S.A, 66% in Europe, 72% Asian Pacific, 72% Latin America and 51% in Middle East.

However, as developed countries hoarded vaccines, working with African countries, China organized a novel extraordinary China-Africa summit to devise means of containing the pandemic. Consequently, China and African countries have been working together in fighting the pandemic by donating thousands of tonnes of materials required in fighting covid-19 which include facemasks, ventilators, testing kits, ventilators, financial assistance and sending experts to work with African counterparts among others. China has also worked with some African countries like Morocco and Egypt to locally produce Covid-19 vaccines.

Addressing the 2021 FOCAC ministerial conference, President Xi Jinping announced China will supply one billion vaccines to African countries of which 600 million will come as donations while 400 million doses will be produced locally through joint vaccine production arrangement between China and African countries. It is important to note that Morocco have already started producing vaccines with support from a Chinse pharmaceutical firm Sinopharm. President Xi’s promised 1 billion vaccines to Africa is enough to vaccinate 40% of continent’s population which will be a big boost. If fully implemented, this will be the largest bilateral vaccine support to African countries if compared with U.S.A’s. 500million vaccine pledges promised to poor and developing countries world over.

While China’s critics accuse Beijing of the so-called Vaccine Diplomacy, arguably, to compare China’s assistance to African countries in building a functioning health system with politics is an insult to Africans and ignorance of facts like African countries’ need in building a robust public health system that will be able to withstand any future pandemics. This is what China is doing. The construction of the Headquarters Building Phase I Project of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) funded by China is ongoing in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Revolutionizing digital economy and green development

The 2022-2024 action plan for China-Africa cooperation also points at digital and green economy. To show emphasis, digital economy is presented as an independent subsection under economic cooperation and green development is presented in its section signifying China’s commitment to support African countries in the two sectors.

Aware that digital revolution is the way to go, China and African countries have come up an initiative to work together and jointly build a China-Africa Community with a shared future in Cyberspace, a development that will see both sides working together in areas like artificial intelligence, big data internet, mobile internet, cloud computing, among others. In Uganda for example, Huawei is already implementing this program and hence, supporting African countries technological transfer, digital infrastructure and digital innovation.

In green development, focus is given to ecological and climate change mitigation which can be achieved through clean energy which China is supporting in Africa. This initiative is spot-on for one can argue that it directly responds to China’s critics who often claim that China does not consider environmental issues when supporting developmental projects in Africa.

All in all, China-Africa cooperation if measured from the success of FOCAC, in its 21 years, the cooperation has achieved a lot for the African countries and much more is in pipeline! Going by commitments released by Chinese government in its FOCAC whitepaper of November 26th 2021, China is ready to double down her support to African countries to realise a China-Africa Community with a shared future. From 2022-2024, FOCAC’s focus will be on cooperation like digital economy, health, poverty reduction, green development, capacity building, peace and security, promotion of trade, among others. One can therefore confidently argue that China is and continue to be Africa’s desired development partner.

However, African countries should not just sit and wait to be spoon-fed, they must be pro-active and use the opportunity of China’s willingness to work with them as “equal partners” so as to further gain from Beijing. As of today, despite having FOCAC in place, there seems not to be a coordinated engagement with China with no single African country having a clear “China strategy.”  As of today, China has released comprehensive three Africa policy papers since 2006 yet, despite having many experts on China including thousands with highest education thanks to Chinese government scholarships, there no single policy paper on China has been developed by Africa as a continent either under the African Union or even FOCAC.

 

Allawi Ssemanda is a senior research fellow at the Development Watch Centre.

Ambassador Zhang Lizhong Remarks at the FOCAC and CPC Briefing in Kampala.

Posted on By Admin

The Eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) will be held on November 29 and 30 in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, the current African co-chair of FOCAC. With the theme of “Deepen China-Africa Partnership and Promote Sustainable Development to Build a China-Africa Community with a Shared Future in the New Era”, the Conference will review and assess the follow-up implementation of the outcomes of the 2018 FOCAC Beijing Summit as well as the joint China-Africa response to COVID-19, and chart the course for China-Africa relations for the next three years and more to come.

The Conference is scheduled to adopt four documents: Dakar Declaration of the Eighth Ministerial Conference of FOCAC, FOCAC Dakar Action Plan (2022-2024), 2035 Vision for China-Africa Cooperation and China-Africa Declaration on Climate Change. Furthermore, the Seventh China-Africa Business Conference will take place in parallel with the Ministerial Conference.

Since its establishment in 2000, FOCAC has upheld the principle of extensive consultations, joint contributions and shared benefits, and become a forum featuring equality, practicality and efficiency. China-Africa cooperation under the framework of FOCAC has achieved remarkable and striking results, winning widespread welcome from the African people and high appraisal from the international community. FOCAC is an important platform for collective dialogue and effective mechanism for practical cooperation between China and Africa. FOCAC has spearheaded international cooperation with Africa and become a golden brand for South-South cooperation.

For the 21 years since the establishment of the FOCAC, trade between China and Africa and China’s investment in Africa have expanded by 20-fold and 100-fold, respectively. China has built and is building in Africa more than 10,000 kilometers of railway lines, nearly 10,000 kilometers of roads, 120,000 megawatt of power-generating capacity, 150 kilometers of backbone network lines, over 400 medical facilities, 1200-plus educational institution, and 400,000 tons of annual clean water treatment capacity, creating over 4.5 million employment opportunities in Africa.

In Uganda, while maintaining a good job in pandemic control and encouraged by the Ugandan government, Chinese companies have contributed to local social-economic transformation and development by carrying forward a number of major projects, such as the construction of the Karuma Hydropower Plant and the expansion of the Entebbe International Airport, which, combined other recently completed infrastructure projects such as KE Expressway and Isimba Hydropower Plant, will lay a solid foundation for Uganda’s future economic and social development.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, China has remained Africa’s largest trading partner for 12 consecutive years. In the first nine months of 2021, the bilateral trade volume between China and Africa reached a record of $185.2 billion, up by 38.2% year on year. In the first eight months of 2021, the bilateral trade volume between China and Uganda reached $619 million, up by 26.2%. China welcomes the exports of Uganda’s products into the Chinese market and hopes Uganda will fully utilize the 97% products tariff-free treatment granted by China to expand its exports. We also encouraged Uganda to take an active part in the China International Import Expo, the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo and other Expos activities so as to promote Ugandan’s products.

In the first nine months of 2021, China’s direct investment to Africa across all sectors registered $2.59 billion, an increase of 9.9% year on year, which outpaced China’s overall outbound direct investment by 3% and exceeded the pre-pandemic level in 2019. By the end of 2020, the stock of non-financial direct investment in Uganda has reached $1.07 billion. A number of industrial parks in Uganda invested and built by Chinese enterprises have become highlights of the economic and trade cooperation between our two countries. Earlier this year, CNOOC has made the final investment decision (FID) in Uganda’s oil industry, which will be another big boost to Uganda’s economic development.

Solidarity and cooperation are the most powerful weapon to defeat COVID-19, and the sunshine of cooperation will surely dispel the haze of the pandemic. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, in response to African needs, China has urgently provided various kinds of assistance including materials, vaccines and expert teams to 53 African countries and the African Union. China-Africa economic and trade cooperation and our solidarity provide strong support to economic reopening and recovery in Africa.

China firmly supports Uganda to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The Chinese government has donated 1 million doses of Sinovac vaccines and over 50,000 units of testing kits to Uganda, and is working with Uganda on delivering the third batch of 600,000 doses. Chinese medical team stationing in China-Uganda Hospital has been making its contributions by sharing anti-pandemic experiences with its Ugandan colleagues.

The upcoming Eighth Ministerial Conference of FOCAC will stand on the new developments, new imperatives and new opportunities and upgrade our cooperation. The Conference will focus on cooperation areas such as health, industrial capacity, regional connectivity, agricultural, digital sector, environmental, military and security, personnel and skills training. It will announce corresponding pragmatic cooperation actions in this regard.

The world is now experiencing major changes unseen in a century. As COVID-19 accelerates these major changes, the world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation. The fact that China and Africa will hold the Conference as scheduled under COVID-19 is of great significance itself. First, it reflects the mutual trust, solidarity and support between the world’s largest developing country and the continent with the biggest number of developing countries. Second, it demonstrates our determination, courage and commitment to jointly answer the questions of the times and respond to the changes in the world. Third, all 55 FOCAC members will overcome difficulties to gather together and discuss plans for friendly cooperation and draw a new blueprint for future cooperation. This will inject new impetus into the China-Africa comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership and make new contributions to upholding the overall interests of developing countries and advancing world peace, stability, development and prosperity in a post-COVID era.

The 19th CPC Central Committee convened its sixth plenary session in Beijing from Nov. 8 to 11, 2021. This was an important meeting as the Party celebrates its centenary this year and stands at a critical juncture where the time frames of its two centenary goals converge. The session has adopted one important resolution and one important decision.

The most important outcome of the session is its adoption of the Resolution of the CPC Central Committee on the Major Achievements and Historical Experience of the Party over the Past Century.

In the history of the CPC, the CPC has always attached great importance to reviewing historical experiences. The resolution adopted at the plenary session becomes the third relevant resolution on the party historical issues in the CPC one- hundred-year history.

The resolution adopted at the plenary session detailed the struggle, sacrifice, and creations made by the CPC as it stays committed to its mission of seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, and answers the question of “why we were successful in the past and how we can continue to succeed in the future.” Therefore, we believe this plenary session will have a significant and far-reaching impact on promoting the unity of thought, will, and action of the whole Party, uniting and leading the Chinese people of all ethnic groups to learn from history and create the future, and better adhere to and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era.

The resolution stressed that practice has proven that establishing Comrade Xi Jinping’s core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and defining the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era reflect the common will of the Party, the armed forces, and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups, and are of decisive significance for advancing the cause of the Party and the country in the new era and for driving forward the historic process of national rejuvenation.

At the plenary session, the CPC decided to convene its 20th National Congress in Beijing in the second half of 2022. The congress will be held at a critical time when the Party has embarked on a new journey to build a modern socialist country in all respects and to realize the second centenary goal. Therefore, it will be a crucial meeting and an event of great political significance for both the Party and the country.

China and Uganda are good comrades, good friends, good partners and good brother. Our two countries have a very long history of solidarity, friendship and cooperation. Since our two countries established diplomatic relations in 1962, and especially since our relations were elevated by President Xi Jinping and President Museveni to the level of Comprehensive Cooperative Partnership in 2019, we have overcome all sorts of challenges, including changes in international situation and the COVID-19 pandemic, to continuously consolidate and enhance our relations. Our political mutual trust has been ever growing, with our pragmatic cooperation in all fields developing substantially and continuously, our people-to-people exchange booming with colors, and our two countries maintaining close coordination and collaboration in international and regional affairs, bringing more and more tangible benefits to the two countries and peoples. One of the important reasons that our bilateral relations keep moving forward with momentum is that the ruling parties of our two countries, the CPC and the NRM, have been strengthening cooperation and mutual learning in state governance and party building.

At present, China-Uganda relations are at their best in history and lays a solid foundation for future development. China is pursuing New Development paradigm and high quality development. Under New Development paradigm, China gives more priority to expanding the domestic needs, and stresses common prosperity of the people, indicating the existing 400 million middle-income population will continue to expand and provide more market opportunities to other countries. Uganda is implementing import substitution strategy and industrialization. Recent development proves the two countries can achieve greater common development and mutual benefits through close cooperation and synergy of each others’ development strategies.

For future cooperation between the two countries, we need to strive for the transformation and upgrading of bilateral cooperation and improving the efficiency and quality. We need to identify key areas of cooperation and take join actions. These key areas could be poverty reduction, food security, COVID-19 response and vaccines, investment and trade, industrialization, connectivity, climate changes, digital innovation and human resources, to name a few. Not long ago, China has proposed China-Africa Digital Innovation Initiative and aims to promote cooperation in digital economy, digital infrastructure, digital education, digital inclusiveness and digital security. We are looking forward to implementing the initiative with the Uganda side. We need to encourage private companies to play bigger role through policy coordination and upgrade the cooperation on industrialization parks and other sectors. Private companies are big in numbers and the backbone of direct investment to Africa countries. The Dakar Conference will provide new opportunities for private companies to expand cooperation in Africa.

Next year in 2022, our two countries will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of our bilateral relations, the CPC will convene its 20th National Congress, the NRM and the Ugandan government will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Republic of Uganda as they strive for national building in such a crucial year. On the new historical starting point, the CPC will work with the NRM and Ugandan people even harder as a whole in our joint efforts to achieve mutual development and prosperity, to leverage our respective strength in building an even closer China-Uganda community with a shared future, and to jointly promote China-Uganda Comprehensive Cooperative Partnership to new heights!

 

Thank you!

Africa’s friendship for China goes beyond economic and development cooperation.

Posted on By Admin

By Azhar Azam

The Africa-China cooperation is described as a relationship between two partners in which Africa wants to gain from China’s development model and circumvent western pressure, to make political and economic reforms such as infamous structural adjustment, through Chinese soft lending and unconditional access to expertise.

China is a most reliable African ally and perhaps the only major economy never intended to colonize the continent. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in September 2018 defended Chinese involvement and refuted the western view that a new colonialism was taking hold in Africa.

The pandemic was expected to threaten the 30-plus year tradition during which every Chinese foreign minister kicked off the New Year from his visit to Africa but the virus couldn’t affect the unshakable friendship as Wang Yi successfully completed his first overseas tour in 2021 to Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Botswana, Tanzania and Seychelles.

Since the first triennial FOCAC summit, two sides have closely worked together and delivered more than 70 percent outcomes on all eight major initiatives including industrial promotion, infrastructure connectivity, trade facilitation, green development, capacity building, healthcare, people-to-people exchange and peace and security.

In the throes of global pandemic, Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is maintaining its momentum as more than 1,100 cooperation projects are going on seamlessly in Africa with about 100,000 Chinese technicians and engineers constantly giving their valuable contributions to improve the economic and social well-being of African communities.

The world’s second-largest economy hasn’t dithered to extend its steadfast support to help Africa mitigate a hard set of economic, infrastructure, poverty and security challenges. In addition to this, the association between the two ancient civilizations is so comprehensive and deep that every new concept only reinvigorates the already strengthened bilateral ties.

Besides opening a number of Confucius Institutes and establishing 150 pairs of sister cities in Africa to enhance the people-to-people ties, China has funded construction of soccer stadiums and government buildings in at least eight African countries to promote sporting and cultural activities and enrich African’s cultural life.

While progress on wide-reaching, public-oriented and eco-friendly projects will spread infrastructure networks, uplift trade, alleviate environmental risks and encourage more locally based industrial operations – Chinese efforts to engage African people in artistic and recreational events would buff up their hidden creative potential and add another dimension to reinvigorate an ever-growing relationship.

Between 2013 and 2018, the proportion of Chinese aid to Africa had increased to 47 percent from 36 percent in 2010-12. David Shinn, a professor at Elliot’s School of International Affairs at George Washington University, reckoned that Africa is now receiving $3.3 billion a year from China on account of foreign aid as compared to $2.5 billion previously.

The robust increase in foreign aid reflected China was regularly sharing the achievements of its economic growth and benefits of transition from low- to middle-income group with African people. It also reaffirmed that the long geographical distance could not restrict the intimate connection from transcending to the micro levels.

Aerial-photo-shows-the-Mazeras-Bridge-of-the-Mombasa-Nairobi-standard-gauge-railway-in-Kenya-May-12-2017.-Photo -Xinhua

Out of some 42 countries that have started rolling out coronavirus vaccines, no one is from low-income states. As rich nations have taken complete control of the entire vaccine supply chain, billions of high-risk people in the developing world, with almost the entire Africa comprising over 50 nations, could be left out until next year.

Amid selfish gestures of wealthy countries to hoard vaccines for their citizens, China is building a COVID-19 vaccine delivery conduit to immunize Africa with a cold-chain air bridge from Shenzhen to a logistical hub in Addis Ababa with manufacturing capabilities in Egypt and Morocco. The big courtesy will win over African hearts and further elevate China’s standing in the continent.

Western media casts doubts on a promise made by China to provide vaccines to Africa on priority basis. The biased approach would take a dive as Egypt has already obtained the first batch of China’s Sinopharm vaccine on December 10 and Morocco received it on January 27 after Moroccan authorities found the Chinese vaccine complied with “international standards of quality and health safety.”

The seven consensuses Abuja and Beijing reached seven consensuses during Wang’s visit to Africa will promote bilateral cooperation on green and digital economy apart from accelerating Nigerian industrialization and improving independent development capabilities under BRI framework. The adoption of technology and clean economic expansion will reduce unemployment and poverty – key drivers fueling cultism, farming conflicts, kidnapping, banditry and violent extremism in Nigeria.

Green environmental protection, Blue Ocean and tourism are the three key areas China is willing to enhance collaboration with Seychelles. Beijing’s support to cope with climate change, pledge to encourage Chinese tourists to visit the small African island and cooperation in the fields of seafood farming, maritime scientific research and shipping transportation will diversify the heavily tourism-reliant economy.

On debt relief, China has signed debt service suspension agreements with 12 African countries and waived off the matured interest-free loans for 15 continental nations through the G-20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative. While Beijing looks to widen the scope to other African countries to ease their debt crisis, the signing-up of the DRC and Botswana as 45th and 46th BRI partners will allow them to become part of a great clean-and-green development and modernization process.

The bottom line is that it’s not just Chinese financing, infrastructure development, trade boosting and industrialization efforts, which have charmed and fascinated the African governments and people to fall in love with China. Beijing has earned this honor through its understanding of Africa’s priorities, respect for African culture, care of the continent’s environment and people’s health and decades of untiring unwavering support for the continent.

Azhar Azam works in a private organization as market and business analyst and writes about geopolitical issues and regional conflicts. Views here represent author’s not necessarily DWC.

 

Covid-19 Challenges: Will China’s Debt Relief to Africa Work?

Posted on By Admin

By Allawi Ssemanda

As a result of restless calls for debt relief for African countries due to the inevitable economic meltdown brought about by Covid-19, China’s Debt relief plan for Africa is steadily emerging. It is believed that China is Africa’s Largest single – country creditor and therefore had to lead efforts in discussing debt relief for the continent.

Whereas key questions regarding implementation plans remain unclear, arguably, issues raised bellow present a fair overview of the Chinese plan.

Beijing’s Official Frameworks for Debt Relief.

Recently, officials in Chinese government have made two clear commitment regarding the debt relief debate. The first commitment came during the Group of 20 (G-20) where debt service suspension initiative for the heavily indebted or poorest countries was reached after discussion of finance ministers and Central bank governors. It was after this agreement that China’s Foreign Affairs Ministry observed how G-20 including China agreed to suspend repayment of both principal and interest effective May 1st 2020 until the end of the year, 2020. Under this arrangement, debt service payments owed by the 76 International Development Association (IDA) countries, plus Angola including 40 Sub-Saharan African Countries is suspended.

Beijing’s second commitment came from president Xi Jinping during a virtual event on 18th May 2020 at opening of the 73rd World Health Assembly where he promised $2 billion to help developing countries affected by Covid-19. During the event, president Xi committed that; “China will provide $2 billion over two years to help with Covid-19 response and with the economic and development in affected countries, especially developing countries.

A closer analysis of diction in Chinese version is categorical that such donation will be made from the category of International Assistance. Put differently, it will come from China’s Foreign Aid Budget.

It can be argued that because Beijing designated $2 billion to help developing countries respond to Covid-19 and address its effects on social and economic development in affected countries, China leaves an open door for such allocation to be earmarked toward debt relief. With China’s approach towards bilateral economic and social development, conclusion can be made that such assistance will take bilateral approach. This was evident as was affirmed by China’s Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, during a press conference on May 24th stressing that China will ensure debt relief for African countries in two ways: bilateral approach and the G-20 debt payment suspension Initiative. This was re-emphasized as on June 7th during the launching of the white paper entitled “Fighting Covid-19: China’s Action” with China’s Foreign Ministry emphasizing

that the $2 billion donation earmarked by China to support African countries will be dispensed through bilateral and multilateral means and will help address challenges such as poverty alleviation, public health and supporting economic recovery.

 

Does G-20 Initiative Cover Concessional Loans?

 

Discussing China’s debt relief for African countries without answering the question of concession loans leaves the discussion incomplete. Despite taking a lion’s share of China’s lending to African countries in the last two decades, as a result of their commercial nature commercial loans are not covered under this initiative.

A review of China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) financial commitments confirms this. According to Beijing’s 2006 FOCAC pledges, 50% of this funding is concessional in nature with concessional loans at $3 billion while concessional buyer’s credit was $2 billion. The 2009 FACOC pledges the $10 billion commitment China offered was concessional loan. This was actually 10 times bigger than special loans extended to Africa’s small and mid-sized enterprises. For 2012 FACOC financial pledges concessional loans totalled $20 billion which more than 50%. In 2015 concessional loans and exports buyers’ credit was $35 billion making it to about 60% of the total $60 billion committed. In 2018,there was a great shift with concessional loans dropping. Grants, zero interest loans and concessional loans all added to 25% of the $60 China committed to African countries.

With that background, the G-20 agreement as it is now is arguably inform of a pause or standstill not a cancellation of debts. However, this standstill is meant to help African countries time to be able to stand economically and meet their obligations. Further, observers agree that this kind of standstill will apply to concessional loans. Important to note is that the G-20 agreement again, to a pause or standstill, not a cancellation – as it is as of now is applicable for eight months starting from 1st May, 2020 till 31st December, 2020.

It can be argued that with the already devastating economic and health impact Covid-19 pandemic has caused, African countries still need a long debt relief beyond the one negotiated by G-20. This to happen means new negotiations which must look at factors such as resumption of African economies and addressing continued health and economic impact of this pandemic coupled with matching relief efforts by both multilateral creditors and private creditors so as to realise a holistic solution. In other words, the G-20 debt relief frame work which is equivalent to 8 Months suspension of debt repayment period is not long enough. Put differently, broader, bigger and long-term debt relief is not yet on table.

What does President Xi’s Speech mean for African Countries?

On 17th June, 2020, Africa and China held a much-needed China-Africa Extraordinary Summit. The summit was chaired by China and Senegal (in its capacity as co-host of the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation – FOCA), and South Africa (as the current chair of the African Union). Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) also attended.

In his address, president Xi pledged that China will stand shoulder to shoulder with African countries stressing that; “Let me reaffirm China’s commitment to its longstanding friendship with Africa. No matter how the international landscape may evolve, China shall never waver in its determination to pursue greater solidarity and cooperation with Africa.” 

During this summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping promised that China will continue helping African countries with equipments needed to contain the spread of Covid-19. Another great gesture was President Xi’s promise which re-emphasized the point that China will waive some debt from African countries due this year, and also restructure time frames for repayment from some countries. Such promises are not new, indeed, in 2015, 2018 and 2019, China wrote-off debts on a number of African countries

China’s promise to fund Africa’s Centre for Disease Control (CDC) in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa as was announced by African Union Commission in many ways shades light of how Beijing is committed to strengthening China – Africa relationship.

Despite a few unresolved questions on the project; such as time frame of proposed CDC and the site, China’s pronouncement that Beijing is ready to fund the centre is enough to further describe Sino-Africa Relations as one of mutual benefit, respect and presents China as a true and reliable ally.

There is no doubt that the decision by Washington to withdraw financial support for World Health Organization at this critical time makes their work difficult, leaving negative consequences especially on regions like Africa which are arguably not fully self-reliant to singly deal with Covid-19.