Sino-African Relations: Sustainable Benefits

The eighth edition of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) that took place in Dakar, Senegal, from 29-30 November 2021 under the theme, “Deepen China-Africa Partnership and Promote Sustainable Development to Build a China-Africa Community with a Shared Future in the New Era,” has come and gone with many positive achievements.

The summit that was co-chaired by State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao, Senegalese Foreign Minister Aissata Tall Sall, and Senegalese Minister of Economy, Planning and International Cooperation Amadou Hott, witnessed the participation of foreign ministers, ministers of finance, ministers of economy and trade from 53 African countries who adopted four key resolutions; The Dakar Action Plan (2022-2024); the China-Africa Cooperation Vision 2035; the Sino-African Declaration on Climate Change; and the Declaration of the Eighth Ministerial Conference of FOCAC.

During deliberations, though African leaders hailed the role played by FOCAC as a “beacon of hope” and a “valuable platform for dialogue and amplification of Africa’s voice on the world stage since its inception twenty-one years ago, they unanimously called for a trade equilibrium between China and Africa. This according to the leaders and participants can be done by increasing China’s infrastructure investment in Africa, especially in key sectors such as, seaport, railway, energy, water and technology transfer.

This appeal did not fall on deaf ears as the Chinese President, Xi Jinping speaking via video link announced a jointly prepared “Nine-point programme” known as “China-Africa Cooperation Vision 2035”. Under the first three years, President Xi said, China will work hand-in-glove with African countries by providing one billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines to help African countries to attain its target of vaccinating 60% of the African population by 2022, undertake 10 poverty reduction and agricultural projects for Africa, and send 500 agricultural experts to the continent, strive to reach $300bn in total imports from Africa in the next three years by importing more African agricultural products to China and further increasing the scope of products enjoying zero-tariff treatment, establish a platform for China-Africa private investment promotion that would encoura...