A delegation of over 50 African presidents has arrived in Beijing, China, to participate in the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), set to take place from September 4 to 6, 2024.
This gathering aims to strengthen ties between China and African nations and address critical issues impacting the continent.
Among the distinguished leaders attending the summit are South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Transitional President of Mali Asimi Goita, Zimbabwean President Emerson Mnangagwa, Senegalese President Busirou Diomaye Faye, Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Debby Itno, and Kenyan President William Ruto, among others.
The summit will feature four high-level meetings focusing on key topics including state governance, high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, peace and security, as well as industrialization and agricultural modernization. These discussions are expected to pave the way for enhanced collaboration between China and African countries.
In the previous FOCAC summit, held in Dakar, Senegal, in November 2021, China made significant commitments, including a pledge to import $300 billion worth of goods from Africa between 2022 and 2024. Additionally, China offered $10 billion to improve the quality of African exports and support small enterprises in accessing Chinese markets. However, many of these commitments have yet to be realized.
Diplomacy experts have called on African leaders to approach such summits with a focus on advocating for Africa’s interests. They emphasized the need for sustainable cooperation and the importance of establishing a market for African agricultural products to address existing trade imbalances between China and African nations.
