Kagame in Beijing for China-Africa cooperation summit

Published: september 04,2024

President Paul Kagame on Tuesday, September 3, arrived in Beijing where he is expected to attend the China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit slated for September 4 to 6.

Themed “Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future,” the forum will bring together African and Chinese leaders to evaluate the existing cooperation environment and draw a blueprint for common development and prosperity.

At the summit, leaders are expected to adopt two outcome documents, the Declaration and the Action Plan, to build major consensus between the two sides and chart a path for implementing China-Africa cooperation in the next three years.

Following the opening ceremony, Kagame will co-chair a high-level parallel session on state governance. The President, accompanied by a Rwandan delegation, will also hold talks with President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China and his delegation.

This ninth meeting is expected to provide a framework for navigating China’s evolving strategic partnership with the African continent in the post-Covid era.

In a recent publication, Amb. Wang Xuekun, the Chinese envoy to Rwanda, said that China and Africa will work together to pursue modernization, and create better livelihood for their people.

Pointing out that this is an opportunity for further development of China-Rwanda relations, he noted that it will deepen political trust, and promote practical cooperation.

“Given the shared political will of both sides, the Summit will definitely usher China-Rwanda bilateral relations to a new level, continue to write a new chapter in the mutual understanding, affinity and friendship between our two peoples,” he said.

Established in 2000, the FOCAC summit has harnessed cooperation in economic and trade fields. China-Africa trade volume reached a record high of $282.1 billion in 2023, an increase of 11 percent from 2021, and China’s direct investment in Africa exceeded $40 billion.

Chinese companies signed project contracts worth more than $700 billion in Africa, with a turnover of over $400 billion, over the past decade.

For Rwanda and China, the shared long-standing partnership since 1971 has generated developmental yields spanning from trade and investments to health, infrastructure, and beyond.

As of February, China has solidified its position as the top investor in Rwanda, with a staggering $1 billion worth of investments

To further enhance exports to China, the two countries signed a Protocol for the export of Dried Chili to China, and a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) to ease business across the board.

Key imports from China included textiles, electronics, leather, construction materials, and machinery, while the key export products included coffee, chili, tea and handicrafts

Rwanda and China’s cooperation is carried out through FOCAC, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and the Joint Economic, Technical and Trade Committee (JETTCO).

China is currently supporting the upgrade of Masaka District Hospital, which will increase capacity to 837-bed facility and eventually house Kigali University Teaching Hospital (CHUK).

Source : TNT