FOCAC an opportunity to usher in new Sino-African cooperation

After three years, leaders of African countries and China converge on the Chinese capital Monday and Tuesday for the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), whose theme is ‘China and Africa: Toward an even stronger community with a shared future through win-win cooperation’.

At the turn of the Millennium, on the proposal of African countries, a ministerial meeting of FOCAC was held in Beijing. Over the past 18 years, FOCAC has become a significant platform for collective dialogue between China and African countries and a leading mechanism for international ties with Africa and also South-South cooperation.

In the recent five years, China-Africa relations have gained practical results, bringing tangible benefits to both peoples, including unprecedentedly frequent high-level exchanges and strengthened political guidance.

China’s President Xi Jinping and more than 30 Chinese leaders have visited Africa and over 60 African heads of state and government been to China, which has established strategic partnership or comprehensive cooperative partnership with 24 African countries.

TRADING PARTNER

China has been Africa’s top trading partner for nine consecutive years. Last year, China-Africa trade volume was $170 billion. China’s investment in Africa is over $100 billion, more than 100 times that of 2000. There are more than 3,200 Chinese enterprises in Africa and many strategic projects have been carried out.

The cooperation has been transformed from government-oriented to market-oriented and upgraded from trade of goods to capacity cooperation and project contracting to one of investment and operation.

People-to-people cooperation is taking on a new look. Over the past five years, there were more than 100 activities on cultural exchanges and 200 cultural cooperation projects.

China has established 54 Confucius Institutes and 27 Confucius classrooms in 41 African countries. Last year, 628,000 African tourists visited China, 4.4 per cent more than 2016, while over a million Chinese travelled to Africa.

NEW OPPORTUNITY

African countries view the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as a new opportunity for the cooperation. Some mega projects, such as the Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway and the Mombasa-Nairobi SGR, have been completed and are in operation.

China always stands up and speaks for Africa on multilateral occasions, especially at the United Nations Security Council, and African countries reciprocate. China and Africa closely cooperate on important matters such as climate change and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

China has actively and constructively participated in maintaining peace and security in Africa and supported African countries’ effort to resolve their challenges independently.

Some 2,000 Chinese peacekeepers are deployed in five missions in Africa while China has sent 30 escort fleets in the waters off Somalia to safeguard over 6,000 Chinese and other ships.

China has given $100 million military aid to the African Union and supported establishment of an African regular army and rapid reaction force.

GREAT CONTRIBUTIONS

Kenya is an important participant, builder and beneficiary of FOCAC and, together with China, have made great contributions to the implementation of the 2015 Johannesburg summit.

The two have carried out more than 30 economic and trade cooperation projects on industrialisation, agricultural modernisation and infrastructure construction. They include the Mombasa-Nairobi and Nairobi-Naivasha SGR and China-Africa Joint Research Centre, 67,000 training opportunities and projects on poverty relief, public health, cultural exchanges and peace and security cooperation.

Kenya is one of the most important BRI and the China-Africa cooperation partners.

After one year, President Xi and President Uhuru Kenyatta will meet again to map out the new relations blueprint and witness the signing of the important bilateral documents.

Since 2000, I have been engaged in FOCAC and witnessed its growth. I believe this summit will bring new opportunities and motivation for China-Kenya relations and usher in a new era for China-Africa cooperation.

Ms Sun is China's Ambassador to Kenya. chinaembas- [email protected].