How Beijing has been recalibrating its expanding influence in Africa
Chinese President Xi Jinping is hosting a major summit in Beijing this week, gathering African leaders to discuss cooperation in infrastructure, energy and education. Focac is the largest event in the city since the Covid pandemic, with China aiming to strengthen its already dominant trade and investment ties with Africa. RFI asked China-Africa expert Daniel Large what the forum means for Africa.
As Africa's biggest trading partner, China has tapped into the continent’s vast reserves of natural resources, including copper, gold, lithium and rare earth minerals.
At the same time, Beijing has loaned billions to African nations, helping to build critical infrastructure but also sometimes stoked controversy by saddling governments with huge debts.
Since the 2000s, China-Africa relations have become more structured with the launch of Focac, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. This week marks the ninth Focac summit.
So what can we expect from this latest event?
Daniel Large: There are four high-level meetings around key themes that we’re going to watch closely at this Focac: state governance, industry and agriculture, peace and security, and the Belt and Road Initiative.
But overall, this Focac has attracted far less media and public attention across large parts of Africa than previous summits.
China’s large-scale financing for development has decreased in recent years due to domestic economic problems and global challenges facing African economies.
Read more on RFI English
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