African leaders are gathering in China for a pivotal high-level summit with President Xi Jinping, as Beijing strengthens its ties with Africa amid growing tensions with Western nations. The China-Africa Summit, running from September 4 to 6, will bring together African leaders to discuss policy and cooperation agreements with officials from the continent’s largest lender and investor, China. These agreements will shape the future of Sino-African relations for years to come.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has described the summit as the “largest diplomatic event” hosted in recent years, with the highest attendance of foreign leaders, and called it a “grand reunion of the China-Africa big family.” Previous summits have granted Beijing unparalleled access to Africa’s raw material markets while providing African nations with much-needed investment.
“China remains resolute in its commitment to greater solidarity and cooperation with Africa,” the ministry emphasized.
The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), held every three years since 2000, is now in its ninth edition. This year’s summit will focus on industrialization, agricultural progress, security, and cooperation on China’s Belt and Road Initiative—a colossal infrastructure project aimed at connecting continents to China. The official theme is “Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future.”
Beijing will host its esteemed guests with a banquet, an opening ceremony, four general summits, and numerous bilateral meetings between Xi and various African leaders. The summit occurs as China increasingly counters Western influence in Africa, seeking to solidify its position as the continent’s top economic partner.
For Beijing, this summit represents a significant diplomatic opportunity to showcase its growing global prominence. “Africa’s voting power at the United Nations General Assembly makes the continent crucial to China,” said Jana de Kluiver from the South Africa-based Institute for Security Studies. Beyond diplomacy, China aims to secure further investments and gain access to essential minerals like lithium, copper, and cobalt, which are mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Zimbabwe, and Botswana.
Leaders from at least 53 African nations, or their representatives, will attend, alongside ministerial delegates. Eswatini, the only African country with diplomatic ties to Taiwan, will likely be absent. President Xi Jinping has already met with leaders from the DRC, Togo, Mali, Comoros, Djibouti, and Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy. UN Secretary-General António Guterres will also be a special guest, along with several international and regional organizations observing the proceedings.
China is Africa’s largest trading partner, accounting for about 25% of the continent’s exports, primarily minerals, fuels, and metals, and 16% of its imports. Beijing has committed $191 billion in investments to African countries between 2006 and 2021, largely through grants, credits, and loans to finance infrastructure projects. However, transparency around these investments remains an issue.
During the last summit in 2021, China pledged to invest $40 billion in Africa. Analysts at the China-Africa Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins University noted that Chinese foreign direct investment in Africa has exceeded that of the U.S. for over a decade.
Chinese investments in Africa have faced criticism, especially on environmental grounds. For example, activists in Uganda recently protested against an oil pipeline project operated by a Chinese state-owned firm, which locals fear will displace communities and harm the environment.
China has also been accused of fueling illegal practices, such as logging in Mozambique, which funds armed insurgencies. Additionally, critics argue that China’s lending practices trap African countries in unsustainable debt, with some defaulting on loans. Zambia, for instance, accrued $18 billion in external debt, with 12% owed to China. However, China denies such accusations, and experts argue that its investments are too varied for a deliberate “debt trap” strategy.
The 2024 summit will likely explore how China and Africa can build on their relationship while addressing these challenges.
