TheauthoristhesecretarygeneraloftheFOCACChineseFollow-UpCommitteeanddirectorgeneraloftheDepartmentofAfricanAffairsoftheMinistryofForeignAffairsofChina
BeforetheForumonChina-AfricaCooperation(FOCAC)BeijingSummittobeheldinearlySeptember,ChinesePresidentXiJinpingvisitedfourAfricancountries:Senegal,Rwanda,SouthAfricaandMauritius.Thisyear鈥檚visitwasPresidentXi鈥檚fourthtourofAfricasinceassumingthepresidencyin2013,indicatingthatChinaattachesgreatimportancetodevelopingChina-Africarelations.Hisvisitcoveredfoursub-regions,WestAfrica,CentralAfrica,SouthernAfricaandEastAfrica,receivingpositiveresponsesfromtheinternationalcommunity.
Fruitfulvisit
WhileinAfrica,PresidentXihadin-depthexchangesofviewswithleadersofthefourcountriesonbilateralrelationsaswellasinternationalandregionalissuesofcommoninterest.Healsowitnessedthesigningofabout40cooperationdocuments.ItisparticularlyworthnotingthatSenegalandRwandasignedtheMemorandumofUnderstandingontheBeltandRoadInitiative.SenegalthusbecamethefirstWestAfricancountrytosignaBeltandRoadcooperationdocumentwithChina.MauritiusalsoindicateditwillsignacooperationaccordwithChinaontheinitiativeinthenearfuture.ThisshowsthattheBeltandRoadInitiativeisbeingwarmlywelcomedandearnestlyanticipatedbyAfricancountriesasitwillprovideanimportantplatformforChina-Africacooperation.
Intheirtalks,ChineseandAfricanleadersexpressedtheirstrongdesiretobuildanevenstrongerChina-Africacommunitywithasharedfuturethroughwin-wincooperation.Theyallagreedtoupholdmultilateralismandopposeunilateralismandprotectionism,andstoodforgreatersolidarityamongdevelopingcountriesforamorepeaceful,justandequitableworld.
PresidentXi鈥檚visitsreceivedthehighestlevelofwelcomeinthesecountries.InSenegal,hewaswarmlygreetedbythousandsofpeopleholdingChineseandSenegaleseflagsalongtheroute.SenegalesePresidentMackySallusedtheProtocolHorseSquadrontowelcomePresidentXi,thefirsttimethishonorwasbestowedonavisitingheadofstateinmanyyears.InRwanda,PresidentPaulKagameandhiswifepersonallywenttotheairporttowelcomePresidentXiandhiswifeandseethemoff.InSouthAfrica,PresidentMatamelaCyrilRamaphosaarrangedadayofffromhistightscheduleofpreparingfortheBRICSSummittomeetwithPresidentXi.InMauritius,PrimeMinisterPravindKumarJugnauthandhiswife,aswellashisparents(hisfatheristheformerprimeministerofthecountry)andnearlyalltheministersattendedthewelcomingbanquetheldforPresidentXi.
PresidentXi鈥檚AfricavisitandtheupcomingFOCACBeijingSummitarethetwomostimportanteventsoftheyearinChina-Africarelations.LeadersofthesefourAfricancountriesconfirmedtheirattendanceattheBeijingSummit.WelookforwardtoseeingChineseandAfricanleadersmeetinBeijingtodrawanewblueprintforChinaAfricafriendshipandcooperation.PresidentRamaphosaofSouthAfricawillco-chairthesummitwithPresidentXi,whileKagamewillattendthesummitinthecapacityofboththeRwandanpresidentandchairpersonoftheAfricanUnion(AU).SenegalandMauritiusalsosaidtheyhopetoplaybiggerrolesinFOCAC.
PresidentXi鈥檚successfulAfricavisitachievedfruitfulresults.ItwasahistoricvisitforChinatostrengthensolidarityandcooperationwithAfricancountries,aswellasallotherdevelopingcountriesasawhole.
Africaapriority
Fiveyearsago,PresidentXivisitedthreeAfricancountries鈥擳anzania,SouthAfricaandtheRepublicoftheCongo鈥攊nhisfirstoutboundtripaftertakingofficein2013.Duringthetrip,heproposedtheprinciplesofsincerity,realresults,affinityandgoodfaith,andtheapproachofupholdingjusticeandpursuingsharedinterests.ThesehavebecometheguidingprinciplesforChina鈥檚relationshipwithAfrica.Atthe19thNationalCongressoftheCommunistPartyofChina(CPC),theybecametheprinciplesguidingChina鈥檚engagementwithotherdevelopingcountries.
TheMombasaterminusoftheMombasa-NairobiRailwayXINHUAAfterbeingreelectedthisyear,PresidentXiagainchoseAfricancountriesforhisfirstoutboundtrip,whichshowsthatAfricaisanimportantpriorityofChina鈥檚diplomacy.AsdevelopingcountriesformthecornerstoneofChina鈥檚diplomaticwork,itisChina鈥檚longtermandfirmstrategicchoicetoconsolidateChina-Africafriendship.
Inthepastfiveyears,undertheoutstandingleadershipoftheCPCCentralCommitteewithComradeXiJinpingatitscore,andwithconcertedeffortsbyChinaandAfricancountries,China-Africarelationshavemadetremendousprogressinthefollowingfiveareas:
First,China-Africastrategicmutualtrusthasreachednewheights.Inthepastfiveyears,thehigh-levelexchangesbetweenChinaandAfricahavebeenunprecedentedlyfrequentandpoliticalguidancehasbeenstrengthened.Morethan30leadersoftheCPCandthestatevisitedAfricancountriesandmorethan60AfricanleaderscametoChinaforvisitsorforinternationalconferences.Todate,Chinahasestablishedstrategicpartnershipsorcomprehensivecooperativepartnershipswith24Africancountries.TheGambia,S茫oTom茅andPr鉚ncipe,andBurkinaFasohaveresumeddiplomaticrelationswithChina.
Second,China-Africapracticalcooperationhastakenonanewlook.ChinahasbeenthelargesttradingpartnerofAfricafornineyearsinarow,withtradevolumereaching$170billionin2017.Meanwhile,China鈥檚investmentinAfricancountriesexceeded$100billion,up100-foldcomparedwith2000.Currently,morethan3,200Chineseenterprisesareoperatingonthecontinent.Alargenumberofstrategicprojectsrelatedtoenergyandresourcedevelopment,infrastructureconstruction,andthebuildingofindustrialparksandspecialeconomiczonesarenowmakingsmoothprogress.TheseincludetheAddisAbaba-DjiboutiRailway,theMombasa-NairobiStandardGaugeRailway(SGR)andtheHisenseIndustrialParkinSouthAfrica.AsthelargestinfrastructureconstructionprojectinKenyaafterindependence,theMombasa-NairobiSGRhascreatedmorethan46,000jobs,contributed1.5percenttothecountry鈥檚GDPgrowthandreducedthelogisticscostsoftheregionbyupto40percent.Threeencouragingshiftsaretakingplaceinoureconomiccooperation:fromgovernment-driventomarketdriven,fromtradeingoodstoalsoincludingmanufacturingcooperation,andfromengineeringcontractstocapitalinvestmentandoperations.
ChinahasbeensupportingAfrica鈥檚effortstoimprovepeople鈥檚livelihoodtothebestofitsability.WhentheEbolaepidemicbrokeoutinWestAfricain2014,Chinawasthefirsttohelpbyprovidingassistanceworth750millionyuan($110million).Sofar,morethan25,000membersofChinesemedicalteamshavebeensenttoAfrica,wheretheyhavetreatedmorethan300millionpatients.TheBrightnessActionprogramlaunchedbyChinahashelpedmorethan7,000Africancataractpatientsrecovertheireyesight.ChinaalsodispatchedmedicalgroupstosomeAfricancountriestohelppreventandcontrolpestilenceandcholera.Since2016,Chinahasprovidedurgentfoodaidto18Africancountriessufferingfromdroughtorflooddisasters.
Third,China-Africaculturalexchangesandcooperationonpeaceandsecurityhavemadefurtherprogress.Culturalandpeopleto-peopleexchangesbetweenChinaandAfricahavebecomemoreactiveandthebondbetweenourpeoplehasbeencloser.Sincethe18thCPCNationalCongressin2012,morethan100culturalexchangeactivitieshavebeenheldandmorethan200culturalcooperationprojectslaunched.Todate,Chinahasestablished54ConfuciusInstitutesand27ConfuciusClassroomsin41Africancountries.In2017,atotalof628,300AfricantouristsvisitedChina,up4.4percentyearonyear;andmorethan1millionChinesetouristspaidvisitstoAfricancountries.
ChinaactivelyparticipatesinpeaceandsecurityaffairsinAfricaandsupportsAfricancountriesinaddressingAfricanissuesbythemselves.Ithasmadesomeunprecedentedmovesinthisarea.In2015,PresidentXiannouncedattheUN$100millionoffreemilitaryassistancetotheAUinthefollowingfiveyearsattheUNPeacekeepingSummit,thefirstofitskind.In2013,ChinadeployeditsfirstsecuritytroopsoverseasonaUNpeacekeepingmissioninMali;andtwoyearslater,itsentitsfirstinfantrybattalionforaUNpeacekeepingmissioninSouthSudan.ChinainitiatedtheconveningofthespecialconsultationinSupportoftheIntergovernmentalAuthorityonDevelopment-LedSouthSudanPeaceProcess.In2017,theChinesenavalhospitalshipPeaceArkvisitedsevenAfricancountries,reachingdifferentpartsofthecontinentononemissionforthefirsttime,onitsHarmoniousMission2017toprovidefreemedicalservicestolocalpeople.Inaddition,ChinaisthelargestcontributorofpeacekeepersinAfricaamongthefivepermanentmembersoftheUNSecurityCouncilandthesecondlargestcontributortotheUNpeacekeepingbudget.SinceitbeganparticipatinginescortmissionsintheGulfofAdenandSomaliwatersin2009,Chinahassent30fleets,escortingmorethan6,000Chineseandforeignvessels.
Fourth,jointdevelopmentbetweenChinaandAfricaisfacingnewopportunities.AfricancountriesregardtheBeltandRoadInitiativeasanewopportunityforexpandingChina-Africacooperation,showingastrongdesiretoparticipateintheinitiative.KenyanandEthiopianleaderscametoChinafortheBeltandRoadForumforInternationalCooperation.ChinahassignedBeltandRoadcooperationagreementswithnineAfricancountriessuchasSouthAfrica,Egypt,Madagascar,SudanandMoroccoandisnegotiatingwithmorethan20othercountriesonthecontinentaboutsigningagreements.China-AfricacooperationundertheBeltandRoadInitiativehasseeninitialprogresswithabatchofimportantprojectssuchastheAddisAbabaDjiboutiRailwayandtheMombasa-NairobiSGRcompletedorunderconstruction.TheBeltandRoadInitiativewillprovidebroadervisionandstrongerimpetusforthedevelopmentofChina-Africacooperation,creatingbetterconditionsandofferingmoreimpetusforpolicy,infrastructure,trade,financialandpeople-to-peopleconnectivitybetweenChinaandAfrica.
China顱AfricaRelationsinNumbersFifth,China-Africasolidarityandcoordinationaremakingnewcontributions.ChinaalwayssupportsAfricancountriesonmultilateraloccasions,especiallywhentheUNSecurityCouncildeliberatesAfricarelatedissues.AfricancountriesalsoprovidefirmsupportforChinaonissuesconcerningChina鈥檚coreinterestsandmajorconcernssuchastheTaiwanquestionandtheSouthChinaSeaissue.In2016,39AfricancountriesandregionalorganizationsannouncedsupportforChina鈥檚stanceontheSouthChinaSea.ChinainvitedAfricancountriestoimportantinternationalconferencesheldinChinasuchastheG20HangzhouSummit,theBeltandRoadForumforInternationalCooperationandtheBRICSXiamenSummit,andcalledforinternationalsupportforAfricandevelopment.ChinaandAfricancountriescooperatecloselyonimportantinternationalissuessuchasclimatechangeandthe2030AgendaforSustainableDevelopmentsoastofirmlyupholdthecommoninterestsofChinaandAfricaandallotherdevelopingcountries,defendinternationalequityandjustice,andpromoteworlddevelopmentandprogress.
Differentvoices
China-Africacooperationisinlinewiththedevelopmenttrendoftheeraandpeople鈥檚aspirations.ItisspearheadingSouth-SouthcooperationandinternationalcooperationwithAfrica,andiswelcomedbythepeopleinbothChinaandAfricancountries,aswellasbytheinternationalcommunity.EvidenceshowsthatChina鈥檚developmentwillbringmoreopportunitiesforAfrica鈥檚development,whileAfrica鈥檚developmentwillprovidegreaterimpetusforChina鈥檚development.Withwin-wincooperationandcommondevelopmentbetweenChinaandAfrica,therelativepowerofcountrieswillbemorebalanced.
However,therearesomedifferentvoicesonChina-Africacooperation,includingthoseofgoodwillandothersofillintentionedsmearattacks.Fortheformer,Chinaalwaysacceptstheirsuggestionswithanopenmind;butforthelatter,theyareadvisedtoabandontheirprejudice,learnmoreabouttheconcreteresultsofChina-AfricacooperationandlistenmoretowhatAfricanpeoplesay.
Forexample,inrecentyears,someWesterncountriesignoredthefactthatChina-AfricacooperationhascontributedgreatlytoAfricanpeaceanddevelopment,andattributedAfricancountries鈥檇ebtissuetoChina鈥檚loans,hypinguptheso-called鈥淐hina鈥檚debttrap.鈥滱ctually,Africa鈥檚debtissueisnotcausedbyChina,ashistoricallyWesterncountriesshouldbeheldaccountable.Chinaalwaysfollowstheprincipleofmutuallybeneficialandwin-wincooperation,emphasizestheeconomicandsocialbenefitsofcooperationprojects,takesintoaccounttheinterestsofbothpartiesininvestmentandfinancingcooperation,andsupportsAfricancountries鈥檆apacitybuildingtoimprovetheirownabilityofpayingoffdebts.Inthisway,Africancountriescanimprovetheircapacityforindependentdevelopmentandrealizesoundeconomicandsocialdevelopment.ThishasbeenfullyrecognizedbyAfricancountries.
Agreatsummitexpected
Theyear2018isimportantforthedevelopmentofChina-AfricarelationswithnumeroussignificanteventsinChinaAfricacooperation.FollowingPresidentXi鈥檚Africavisit,theFOCACBeijingSummitwillbeheldinSeptember.Currently,theworldisseeingincreasinguncertaintiesanddestabilizingfactors,theriseofunilateralismandprotectionism,andtheemergenceofanti-globalizationforces.Againstthisbackground,itistherighttimefortheFOCACBeijingSummitasitaimstopromotethehigh-leveldevelopmentofChina-Africarelationsandprovideanimportantopportunitytoenhanceunityandcooperationamongdevelopingcountries.
TheFOCACBeijingSummitwillbeanimportanteventthatwilltakestockofpastprogressandmakeplansforthefuture.AttheCentralConferenceonWorkRelatingtoForeignAffairsheldrecently,PresidentXi,whoisalsoCPCCentralCommitteeGeneralSecretary,reiteratedthateffortswillbemadetodeepenunityandcooperationwithotherdevelopingcountriessoastomakejointeffortsforcommondevelopment.ThesummitisseenasanimportanteventtoimplementXiJinping鈥檚thoughtondiplomacy,aswellasanimportantdiplomaticactivityforChinatofurthertieswithotherdevelop-ingcountries.ByhostingtheBeijingSummit,ChinawillstrengthencommunicationwithAfricancountriesforgreatervisionandstrategicsynergy,intensifytop-leveldesignforthedevelopmentofChina-Africarelations,andbringChina-Africafriendshiptonewheights,withanaimtomakeeffortsforanevenstrongerChina-Africacommunitywithasharedfuturespearheadthebuildingofacommunitywithasharedfutureformankind.
Itwillbeasummittofurthercooperation.The2018FOCACBeijingSummitwillintegratethejointbuildingoftheBeltandRoadwithAfricancountries,theUN2030AgendaforSustainableDevelopmentandtheAUAgenda2063withthedevelopmentstrategiesofvariousAfricancountries,soastoenhanceChina-Africastrategicsynergyandexpandcommoninterests.BasedontherealneedsofAfrica鈥檚developmentandthelong-termandsounddevelopmentofChinaAfricacooperation,ChinawillputforwardnewmeasurestopromoteChina-Africacooperationinareassuchasindustrialcapacitycooperation,infrastructuredevelopment,trade,environmentalprotection,people-topeopleexchanges,andpeaceandsecurity,soastocreatenewopportunitiesandaneweraforthedevelopmentoftheChina-Africacomprehensivestrategicandcooperativepartnership.
ItwillbeanimportantsummitthatwillbenefittheChineseandAfricanpeople.Whilecontinuingtopromotecooperationintraditionalareassuchasinfrastructuredevelopment,trade,financingandinvestment,medicalcareandhumanresourcesdevelopment,theFOCACBeijingSummitwillplacemoreemphasisontheissuesrelatedtopeopl鈥檚livelihood.ThiswillbedonebyguidingChina-Africacooperationtofocusmoreonareassuchaspovertyalleviation,people-to-peopleexchangesandenvironmentalprotection,soastodelivermorebenefitstoAfricanpeople,especiallytheyouth,womenandchildren.ChinawelcomesallChineseandAfricanpeopletojoininthisgreatundertakingandsupportstheexpansionofexchangesforbettermutualunderstandingandenhancedfriendship,sothatpeoplecanparticipatein,promoteandbenefitfromChina-Africacooperation.
Currently,thepreparationworkfortheFOCACBeijingSummitiswellunderway.ItisbelievedthatthissummitwillbeanewmilestoneinthehistoryoftheChina-Africarelationshipthroughthejointeffortsofbothsides.
CopyeditedbyFranciscoLittle&RebecaToledoCommentsto