China-Africa Cooperation in the New Era

Titled “China and Africa in the New Era: A Partnership of Equals,” the document highlighted past experiences and also mutual aims and goals that have brought China and Africa closer together.

The white paper has outlined a range of areas of relations between China and Africa, including rapidly expanding economic cooperation, growing social development cooperation, people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and expanding cooperative partnership for peace and security.

China-Africa cooperation has yielded positive benefits that can be seen throughout the continent. It has strengthened Africa’s economic and social development circumstances and provided substantial advantages to people both in China and Africa.

China is committed to strengthening political mutual trust among China and Africa, strengthening pragmatic cooperation with Africa in a variety of areas, and extending its assistance to the continent to promote peace and prosperity.

On mutual political trust, China and African countries have always been good friends who stand together through prosperity and adversity, good partners who share weal and woe, and good comrades who fully trust each other in a changing international landscape since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

Developing solidarity and cooperation with African countries has been a cornerstone of China’s foreign policy, as well as a firm and long-standing policy.

President Xi Jinping of China stated the fundamental principles of China’s Africa policy, which also include sincerity, real results, amity, and good faith, and pursuing the greater good and common interests, even while charting the path for China’s cooperation with Africa.

Through FOCAC, China and African countries will continue to set the pace of cooperation, support the Belt and Road Initiative, elevate the China-Africa comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership, and help us build a brighter future.

At the FOCAC Beijing Summit, President Xi and African leaders unanimously decided to work together to build a stronger China-Africa community of shared future, advance cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative and set a new milestone in China-Africa relations.

China and Africa share strong bilateral trust and friendship. China is also committed to strengthening political confidence between China and Africa, developing pragmatic cooperation with Africa in a variety of areas, and extending its assistance to the continent to promote peace and prosperity.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Xi has spoken on the phone with 17 African leaders, maintaining close high-level contacts and exchanges with his African counterparts.

China and African countries have embraced expanded culture, media, science, and technology, and think tank interactions, as well as facilitated youth and women’s dialogues.

Except for Eswatini, China today has diplomatic relations with 53 African countries, and more African countries have joined the extended family of China-Africa friendship in past years.

On March 17, 2016, China restored ambassadorial-level diplomatic relations with The Gambia, Sao Tome, and Principe on December 26, 2016, and Burkina Faso on May 26, 2018. Ko

Standing firmly together

At critical junctures and on major issues, China and Africa have always stood firm together. African countries have given significant support to China’s efforts to protect its sovereignty, security, and development interests, and to promote reunification and national rejuvenation through development.

China has always supported African countries in their desire to reach national independence, seek development pathways that are tailored to their circumstances, promote regional integration, and strengthen themselves through unity.

Faced with COVID-19, China and Africa have risen to the occasion, helping and fighting alongside one another to defeat the pandemic through solidarity and cooperation.

Future shared community

Both in success and adversity, China and Africa have stood together, giving an example for building a global community with a shared future.

China’s policy towards Africa is guided by the ideals of sincerity, actual results, amity, and good faith, as well as the principles of promoting the greater good and common interests. According to the white paper, they are China’s overall guiding principles for strengthening sympathy and cooperation with developing nations, especially those in Africa.

China has developed a different approach to win-win collaboration with Africa throughout time, which is consistent with the traditional Chinese attitude of “do not do to others what you do not want others to do to you.”

Exchanges at the highest-level 

High-level exchanges are essential to the growth of China-Africa ties.

In March 2013, Chinese President Xi paid for his first official abroad tour since taking office. He has traveled to four different countries on the continent so far.

Xi conducted one-on-one talks with more than 50 African leaders during the FOCAC Summit in Beijing in 2018, renewing acquaintances, exploring cooperation, and discussing the future. He also took part in about 70 bilateral and multinational meetings. Following the summit, 17 African heads of state or government visited China for state visits or meetings.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Xi has spoken on the phone with 17 African leaders, keeping close high-level contacts and exchanges with his African counterparts.

Xi has always treated African friends as equals, cultivating strong friendships and deep trust with them. This head-of-state diplomacy has led to stable and long-term relations between China and Africa.

Trading partner with more volume of transactions 

Since 2009, China has been Africa’s main trading partner for the past 12 years. The amount of Africa’s trade with China in the continent’s overall foreign trade has continued to rise, reaching 21% in 2020.

According to the document, the structure of China-Africa trade is also improving, with a major increase in technology in China’s exports to Africa, with mechanical and electrical products and high-tech products accounting for more than half of the total.

Cooperation within the BRI 

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China-Africa cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative has shown remarkable resilience and vigor, assisting anti-pandemic collaboration between the two sides.

During the epidemic, more than 1,100 China-Africa collaborative programs have persisted, and approximately 100,000 Chinese technicians and employees have stayed on the job.

Chinese enterprises’ direct investment in Africa will have topped $43 billion by the end of 2020.

Several large projects have been completed or are in the process of completion thanks to the combined efforts of the two sides.

Cooperative climate response 

China has struck 15 agreements with 14 African countries to work together to combat climate change.

Various measures to support Africa’s response to the issue have been considered, including executing mitigation and adaptation programs, cooperatively establishing prototype low-carbon industrial parks, and providing capacity-building training.

Direct investment in China 

China’s direct investment in Africa is expected to reach $43 billion by the end of 2020.

Over 3,500 firms of all types have been formed by China across the continent. Private enterprises have steadily become Africa’s most important investment force; more than 80% of their employees are Africans, and they have created millions of employment directly and indirectly.

Cooperation strategies for the future 

A FOCAC summit scheduled at the end of November is likely to produce proposals for the next phase of friendly China-Africa cooperation.

The summit will be of tremendous importance in fostering post-pandemic economic recovery and development in Africa, China, and the globe at large, according to the paper, which hails it as a major diplomatic event for China and Africa to discuss cooperation plans and promote joint development.

The two sides will collaborate to design and discuss the conclusions that will be adopted at the conference.

The digital divide is being eliminated 

China is assisting African nations in closing the digital divide. Several undersea cable projects linking Africa with Europe, Asia, and the Americas have involved Chinese businesses.

They have created more than half of Africa’s wireless sites and high-speed mobile broadband networks in collaboration with major African operators, ensuring full basic coverage of telecommunications services.

Over 200,000 kilometers of optical fiber have been deployed, providing broadband internet access to 6 million homes and serving over 900 million people in the area.

In the new phase of Africa-China collaboration, a greater alignment with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, or rather, greater synergy between Africa’s and China’s cooperation frameworks might help both sides strengthen their ties. China has made great contributions to the African Union’s six continental development frameworks for the next ten years under the Agenda 2063 plan, according to the African Union.

Contributions to each framework, on the other hand, vary widely and are primarily driven by bilateral agreements. As a result, China and African countries may overlook or minimize the advantages of several significant regional projects and programs. The upcoming FOCAC in Dakar, Senegal, may be more closely aligned with these principles to achieve more transformational results.

Authors:

Joseph Olivier Mendo’o is a Ph.D. scholar at Peking University, political analyst, and co-founder of the China-Africa Youth Federation. He published articles at the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

Hanane Thamik is a Ph.D. scholar at Wuhan University. She has more than 20 publications among them the United Nations Geneva 2019 report and Peking University 5000-MILE REPORT “Africa’s international relations: What’s in store for the next decade?” which was handed to high-ranking officials at the Ministry of Foreign affairs in Beijing.

Tungamirai Eric Mupona is a Postgraduate student, majoring in International Affairs and Global Governance at Zhejiang University; he has research interests in China-Africa relations. He is the founder of Abroad Path Leaders (APL) international public social service platform in Hangzhou.

Sumayyah Hosany, Medical Doctor of Panhealth Medical Center and public speaker at many international conferences. Her research interests are in Public Health, Breast Cancer, and China-Africa relations.