Through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) 2024 Summit, Beijing is increasing strategic investment to expand economic and trade cooperation and consolidate its geopolitical influence in the region...
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| The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation 2024 Summit took place from September 4-6 with the participation of Chinese leaders and more than 50 African leaders and the UN Secretary-General. (Source: AFP) |
African leaders attend FOCAC 2024 as Beijing continues to strengthen ties and expand its influence on the continent. China's Foreign Ministry has said that FOCAC 2024 is the largest diplomatic event China has hosted in recent years, with the largest number of foreign leaders attending, calling it a "reunion of the China-Africa family."
Agreements reached at previous summits have given Beijing exclusive access to African raw material markets. In return, China will further increase its investment in the continent.
A diplomatic card
Themed “Jointly Promote Modernization, Build a High-Level China-Africa Community of Shared Future,” the conference focused on topics such as industrialization, agricultural progress, security and cooperation related to the Belt and Road Initiative, a massive project connecting multiple continents with China through infrastructure cooperation.
Beijing hosted a grand banquet to welcome high-level guests, an opening ceremony, four joint summits and several bilateral meetings between President Xi Jinping and African leaders.
FOCAC 2024 comes at a time when China is facing growing US and European influence in Africa and other developing regions as it competes for global leadership. Although the US, Japan, India and Russia also hold regular summits to attract African leaders, China remains unbeatable as an economic partner.
FOCAC 2024 is an opportunity for Beijing to show its influence on the international political stage, said Jana de Kluiver, a researcher at the South Africa-based Institute for Security Studies. Engaging with African leaders serves as a diplomatic card for China at the United Nations.
The power of votes in the UN General Assembly makes Africa increasingly important to China, Ms. Kluiver said. On top of that, photos with leaders and headlines in newspapers further demonstrate Beijing’s close ties with African countries, as well as its influence in decisions at the UN.
On the business front, the world's second-largest economy wants to attract African leaders with more investments to gain better access to important minerals such as lithium, copper and cobalt, which Beijing is exploiting in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Botswana... In addition, China can promote the export of more domestically produced products, especially renewable energy and technology products.
African countries will seek to ask Beijing to address unfulfilled commitments made at previous FOCAC meetings. Some countries, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, want to maintain the presence of Chinese companies refining raw materials in the country, which will bring in more revenue and provide employment opportunities for Africa’s young workforce.
This week, President Xi Jinping met with President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the leaders of Togo, Mali, Comoros, Djibouti and especially President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria, Africa's largest economy.
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| Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye (left) meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, September 4. (Source: Reuters) |
Unfinished loans
China is Africa’s largest trading partner. About a quarter of the continent’s exports, mainly minerals, fuels and metals, go to the northeast Asian country, and about 16% of its imports come from the country of one billion people. Annual trade could reach $300 billion by 2035.
Beijing is also Africa’s largest creditor. From 2006 to 2021, China pledged $191 billion in investment to African countries. In 2021, at the FOCAC in Senegal, China pledged a total of $40 billion in investment to the continent. In some cases, the investment comes in the form of grants, credits, and loans to fund major infrastructure projects.
China’s direct investment in Africa has surpassed that of the United States for more than a decade, according to analysts at the China-Africa Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins University. But Beijing’s investments have faced opposition in many countries, particularly over environmental concerns.
Last week, for example, activists in Uganda protested and marched to the Chinese Embassy in Kampala to protest a proposed pipeline to transport crude oil from Uganda to neighboring Tanzania. The pipeline is being operated by a Chinese state-owned company, French energy and oil company Total, as well as the governments of Tanzania and Uganda. It is considered the world’s longest heating oil pipeline, but the project could displace thousands of people and have environmental impacts.
China has also faced criticism for failing to curb illegal logging in some African countries. A report by the US-based Environmental Investigation Agency in May 2024 found that illegal timber shipments from Mozambique to China had increased significantly since 2017.
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FOCAC 2024 not only marks an important milestone in the partnership between Beijing and African countries, but also clearly reflects China's long-term strategy of expanding its global influence. It is also an opportunity for the country of one billion people to consolidate its role as an important partner in Africa's economic and political development and promote its global initiatives. Meanwhile, Africa can expect to receive the financial support and investment needed to promote economic growth and infrastructure development.
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/thay-gi-tu-cuoc-hoi-ngo-cua-dai-gia-dinh-trung-quoc-chau-phi-285066.html
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