The 9th FOCAC Ministterial Confrence: China and Africa Are Now Looking Beyond Economics, Focusing on A Composite Shared Future
By Mpewo Alan Collins
The just concluded Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) gave a new picture of how we should view FOCAC. The confrence laid a groundwork for the just concluded 2024 FOCAC Beijing summit attracted foreign and economic ministers from 53 African member countries, and representatives of the African Union and other regional and international organizations were among more than 300 attendees of the meeting.
This confrence has held a long standing life since the year 2000, when it came to life. The partner states meet in the FOCAC confrence after every 3 years of holding a similar gathering, a tradition until now, that has been maintained registering this year’s as the 9th FOCAC Ministerial Conference.
Because of the growing changes in the international relations environment, China and Africa Continent countries but Eswatini found it fitting in their wisdom to come up with the idea of a coalition where they would keep looking out for the best for their citizens while enhancing multi border cooperation. The FOCAC bases on two major standing values to wit, ‘Mutual Respect’ and ‘Mutual Benefit’. It goes without saying that succeeding the relations among major superpowers of the mid and late 1990’s, China and Africa appreciate a change in direction as regards international cooperation to which, the FOCAC was birthed as a pilot idea, interesting enough, that today its profile of successes and ideals are becoming a model for China’s and Africa’s rivals to emulate.
As all good things, the FOCAC has over the years registered new states joining to also take part in the benefits that come with association. The 9th FOCAC Ministerial Conference is under the theme ‘Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future’. As before, the focus is to build more for the future having significantly realized the 8th FOCAC Ministerial Conference action points. The attention is therefore on extensive focus on modernization as by all standards should be.
But amidst the events that occasioned the success of the conference, the greatest attention snatcher was the Beijing Declaration on Jointly Building an All-Weather China-Africa Community with a Shared Future for the New Era. The declaration was adopted by attendant FOCAC members, and the letter and spirit of each declaration clause gets interesting as to what it speaks to. Three key extracts being international security and human rights; science; and sustainable globalization. In this the African Union and United Nations agendas have been factored in. China has resounded its commitment to an Africa that’s empowered to ending Western power financial trapping into unconscionable interest loans and extended solidarity for the 2026 World Trade Organization conference that will take place on the African continent. The financial independence that understands the balance in negotiation for a win-win situation has never been neglected, and as sustainable globalization became something of concern, the FOCAC members are continuously focusing on materializing it.
These commitments and more come at a time of a fragile international environment (economically and socio-politically) to which major superpowers keep finding their way to a strategic position of leading the apex. Many global powers have made their work plan known over and over again, locking arms topping the list, the consequences of which are forever regrettable. China has maintained course for partnerships with every possible global member and it doesn’t come off as shocking that it is a leading economic superpower in recent decades. Africa stands strategically in the global agenda especially on major subjects such as climate change, global industrialization, and maintaining economic dominance. It is of less wonder therefore that major superpowers keep finding ways of penetrating the continent, but telling enough, is the modus operandi.
Africa member states have a trigger to leverage on now that the First Ten Year Implementation Plan of Agenda 2063 was implemented. The Second Ten Year plan having been launched, the implementation phase is going to detailing because of the much work that will be required by the members. Green financing is something the FOCAC members should look closely to especially in the extensive Belt and Road Initiative program to account for their contribution to the Paris Agreement net zero agenda. Now than before, the FOCAC members are more resolute partly because the 9th FOCAC Ministerial Conference came succeeding major events like the Non-Allied Members Conference where equally important pillars of global security and human rights were a topic of importance.
The economy wheel has maintained Its face but with rejuvenation on the conversation of deeper penetration of markets in China. China has without a doubt extended its influence in industrialization and product accessibility in the African markets, but what has been a constant struggle was the reciprocal ease in accessing some markets by Africa FOCAC Members. With the recent opening of imports and tariff policies by China to their economic partners, it is going to be up to the Africa FOCAC members to take advantage of China’s commitment to share technology and science so as to lessen gaps in Africa’s industrialization. Empowerment will have to remain a pillar of the cooperation to enable independence in running of affairs. Africa FOCAC Members have grappled with imbalances in financial cooperation from external powers who see them as a cash cow, but the storyline has kept drifting to one of a shared future – Trade and Commerce, Global Climate Change, Science and Technology, International Human Rights and Diplomacy, Infrastructure Partnership, Cultural and Traditional exchanges and learning, Education, and more multi phased into a singular composite. The watch remains focused to the next phase before the 10th FOCAC Ministerial Conference.
The writer is a Senior Research Fellow and Lawyer at the Development Watch Center.
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