African heads of state arrive in Beijing for 2024 Forum on China-Africa cooperation summit

African heads of state have started arriving in Beijing ahead of the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit, which begins on Wednesday.

This ninth edition of FOCAC will outline the evolving strategic partnership between China and Africa in the post-COVID era, occurring amidst rising geopolitical tensions as Beijing seeks to solidify its position in relation to other global powers.

Key topics on the agenda include climate and energy, as well as digital and technology cooperation aimed at bridging Africa’s digital divide.

Historically, FOCAC has led to significant financial commitments from China for infrastructure, agriculture, and manufacturing projects across the continent.

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What 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit is about

However, experts caution that African countries should use the summit to ensure that future cooperation is both sustainable and mutually beneficial. While China has been intensifying its engagement with the Global South, analysts note that these relationships serve not just economic interests but also Beijing’s broader geopolitical objectives. There are concerns that some investments may not align with the recipient countries’ development priorities and could contribute to unsustainable debt levels.

The 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit, which runs from September 4-6, is seen as a critical opportunity for African nations to reassess and potentially reshape their partnership with China.

What you should know about FOCAC

Although established following the urgings of African diplomats in the late 1990s, China has taken the lead in FOCAC throughout the existence of the organization. In addition to African requests, China had its own reasons for establishing FOCAC, including: creating an organization to ensure future political and economic influence in Africa in light of other great and rising powers setting up similar organizations, counteracting European Union influence in light of the first EU-Africa Summit, counterbalancing emerging India-Africa and Turkey-Africa cooperation organizations, and advocating for developing country causes.

FOCAC emphasizes political cooperation between Africa and China. The core political norms that China advocates within FOCAC are its Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence: mutual respect for territory and sovereignty, mutual nonaggression, mutual noninterference in internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful co-existence. These principles are a conservative interpretation of the Westphalian norms of state sovereignty.