The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which met in Beijing this year, gathered more than 50 African leaders to discuss the problems of development and modernization on the African continent. FOCAC, which first met in Beijing in 2000, has become the major platform for the extensive China-Africa Cooperation. This year’s gathering resulted in the Beijing Declaration on Building an All-Weather China-Africa Community with a Shared Future in the New Era. While many of these countries are also engaged in the Belt and Road Initiative, this year saw the elevation of four new African countries to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership with China.
At this point, China has effectively become the most reliable “go-to” partner in meeting the development needs of the individual countries. The commitment of China to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence has been a welcome relief from the more restrictive and one-sided policies mandated by the Western nations in their contacts with these nations. The example of China’s emergence from poverty to relative prosperity, and over a relatively short period of time, has created a new sense of optimism for what these nations can accomplish. In his keynote to the gathering today, Chinese President Xi Jinping underlined the main points of China’s involvement: President Xi underlined the importance of China’s modernization as a model of what can be accomplished. He assured the African countries of China’s reliable assistance in the development of trade, such as in governance and supply-side support, which “will help turn China’s big market into Africa’s big opportunity.” China is committed to initiating new infrastructure projects to promote connectivity, as well as to invest in “livelihood issues.” These also include increased medical aid, especially important now in the face of new epidemics on the continent.
