Closer cooperation. Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

Several national leaders of African countries have arrived in Beijing to attend the upcoming 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) which will be held in Beijing from Wednesday to Friday, as analysts from both China and Africa said the event will inject much needed new impetus into global economic recovery and set an example for South-South cooperation.

According to the Xinhua News Agency, from Saturday night to Sunday, leaders including Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, President of the Comoros Azali Assoumani, and Mali's transitional president Assimi Goita, have already arrived in Beijing to attend FOCAC. Experts said the 2024 Summit of the FOCAC will be a major diplomatic event that will not only gather Chinese and African leaders and representatives of relevant regional and international organizations, it will also bring together business executives, scholars and youths from both China and the continent to boost high quality cooperation among the Global South, and these will have great significance to the world that is experiencing profound change and turbulence.

At a briefing for Chinese and foreign media on the 2024 Summit of the FOCAC on August 23, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong said that "The leaders of China and Africa will discuss major cooperation strategies, explore cooperation plans together and strengthen exchanges on state governance, which will provide important guidance for the development of the Forum in the next stage."

Chen said the Summit will introduce a series of new cooperation initiatives to deepen mutual understanding, respect and affinity between the peoples of China and Africa, so that the China-Africa friendship will be passed on from generation to generation and the flower of China-Africa friendship will blossom with renewed brilliance. According to public information, African members of the FOCAC include 53 African countries that have established diplomatic relations with China, and the Commission of the African Union. 

He Wenping, a director with the Institute of West Asian and African Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that the FOCAC summit this year will elevate China-Africa cooperation to new heights. "It's likely we will see China and African countries boosting cooperation in new areas like the digital economy and green development based on existing infrastructure."

Li Haidong, a professor from the China Foreign Affairs University, said that "the world is still experiencing profound change and turbulence, with numerous uncertainties, and there are serious challenges confronting globalization and global economic recovery. China and African countries are developing countries that share common interests and the stance that multi-polarization of the world should be boosted, and to jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind." Therefore, the upcoming FOCAC summit will surely send an encouraging message to not only China and Africa, but also the Global South and the rest of the world, as this is a successful example for cooperation within Global South with global significance, Li noted. 

All-round cooperation

The President of the Central Africa Republic Faustin-Archange Touadera had already kicked off his trip in China with visits to Chongqing and Shandong Province from August 28 to Sunday to learn about China's achievements in areas such as urbanization, new energy, cultural industries, agriculture and the digital economy. 

Experts said this shows that African leaders are taking their attendance at FOCAC as an opportunity to explore China in different ways. In addition to diplomacy, they are also very interested in learning about China's development and modernization from a broader and more comprehensive perspective, said the experts. 

Endalkachew Sime, ex-State Minister of Ministry of Planning and Development of Ethiopia and founder and deputy CEO of the Africa-China Trade and Investment Facilitation Center, said that the FOCAC summit is crucial for two main reasons: First, they capture the focus and attention of the nations involved. Each leader attends these meetings with their own notes. 

"Second, these events help create a better image of the cooperation at the grassroots level in each country. With high-level media coverage and significant signatories, these platforms send a strong message to citizens [of different countries], encouraging them to take the partnership seriously," Sime said. 

Munetsi Madakufamba, executive director of the Zimbabwe-based Southern African Research and Documentation Center, said that "The development approach and cooperation between China and Africa are a win-win partnership, emphasizing the importance of understanding each other's context, circumstances, and development priorities. If you look at the development experience of Africa and in terms of cooperation with the West, it has been a kind of relationship of one side exploiting the other, which is unbalanced development."

Chinese analysts said that China has always seen Africa as a vibrant continent of hope, and treats African countries as equal partners. 

They said now it is time for Africa to embark on their journey of modernization. Since other major economies, especially Western ones, have failed to play very constructive roles to support Africa, China-Africa cooperation that is marked by high-level mutual trust and traditional friendship will become more all-round and profound.