It is against this background of great crisis and change across the globe that China is bidding to deepen ties with Africa. With emphasis that “the right time” is now, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong spoke on Friday in the run-up to next month’s China-Africa summit in Beijing.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to attend the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, FOCAC, scheduled for September 5. With all eyes on China’s commitment to Africa, President Xi Jinping is billed to present a key speech that will outline a new aid package for the continent.
He emphasized that this was a summit of crucial importance and that China and Africa should make the most of the moment to present a “strong voice” on half of the rest of the Global South in the unremitting changes of world affairs. He went on to say that China and Africa ranked as the leading lights amongst the Global South and expressed that Africa had been in a fundamental process of “new awakening” and absolute support of unification, self-improvement, and integration.
Given that China is the largest trading partner to Africa and, equally, the highest investment source, that relationship has been such a long journey in time. Indeed, Xi’s grand Belt and Road Initiative is highly dependent on Africa, with the potential to boost world trade and foster economic growth across Asia, Africa, and beyond.
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Next up, there is a three-day conference with representatives from 53 African nations, who are, in fact, members of FOCAC. This is the fourth within the period since 2006. The hopes for the summit are to re-emphasize important problems of mutual interest and foster more cooperation between the parties in many spheres, thereby attesting to strategic cooperation between China and Africa.
