Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to host African leaders for a summit in the first week of September as Beijing seeks to further its influence on the continent. The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) is scheduled to take place in Beijing from September 4 to September 6.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying announced that African leaders would attend the summit at the invitation of FOCAC. “Leaders of FOCAC’s African members will attend the summit at the invitation of the forum,” she said.
The Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs added that representatives from relevant African regional and international organizations will also participate in the forum events.
The summit’s theme is “Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future.” President William Ruto is expected to lead Kenya’s delegation, with the Chinese government aiming to deepen ties with Africa. Kenya and China have been discussing areas of cooperation that will be pursued at this year’s FOCAC summit, including further agreements on education.
Chinese ambassador to Kenya Zhou Pingjian mentioned that the meeting will offer cooperation opportunities for the next five years and beyond. The summit will also follow up on resolutions from a ministerial meeting held in Dakar, Senegal, in November 2021.
A brief on the upcoming summit states, “Chinese and African leaders will gather to discuss advancing China-Africa cooperation to the next level and keeping it current.”
It also notes that a key focus will be exchanging governance experiences to accelerate modernization. The brief adds, “China will continue to fully support Africa as the continent modernizes in its own way and takes control of its future destiny.”
A recent plenary session of China’s key decision-making body, chaired by President Xi, resolved to deepen reform to advance Chinese modernization.
For the Chinese government, there is a strong rationale for the two sides to “join hands in building a community with a shared future at a high level.” In March 2024, Chinese and African scholars under the FOCAC think-tank urged both sides to explore independent, people-centered development paths based on each country’s cultural characteristics, emphasizing mutual respect and mutual learning.
The Dar es Salaam Consensus will be among the agreements ratified during this year’s summit. China highlights its contributions to Africa, including building 150,000 kilometers of communication backbone networks serving over 700 million users, and implementing clean energy power generation projects, as well as constructing roads, railways, and sea ports.
“China and Africa will renew their commitment to China-Africa friendship and cooperation, share ideas, and open up new prospects for the high-quality development of China-Africa cooperation,” the brief reads.
President Ruto attended China’s 3rd Belt and Road Initiative Forum in October last year, where he reached several cooperation agreements.
