9th FOCAC Summit ushers in new era for China-Africa relations

GIVEN the substantial impact of recent diplomatic meetings on China’s foreign interests, it is crucial to reflect on and closely examine the outcomes of the recent gathering organised by China.

The 9th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) meeting, which took place last week in China and involved several African leaders, marked a significant moment for China-Africa relations.

Reflecting on the success of this gathering and the decisions made during it is essential as we assess its implications for both parties’ future.

In light of this, it is important to note that the Communist Party of China (CPC) recently held its third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee, where it adopted a resolution to advance deeper reforms. This decision could have far-reaching implications.

The resolution aims to promote Chinese modernisation and achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through a comprehensive approach. The plan for advancing Chinese modernisation by further deepening these reforms is expected to have significant and diverse consequences.

The primary driver of Chinese modernisation is the basic need for further, all-encompassing reform to safeguard China’s interests. Looking back, the 11th CPC Central Committee’s third plenary session marked the beginning of a new era marked by reform, opening up, and socialist modernisation.

With organised and comprehensive plans, the 18th CPC Central Committee’s third plenary session, when critically examined, signalled the beginning of a new path towards thoroughly deepening reform in the new era very well aligned to ongoing global geopolitical without losing track to the desired vision.

With around 800 million poor people pulled out of poverty and over 400 million in the middle class, China has become the second-largest economy in the world over the past 40 years as a result of its political and economic reforms that have freed its mind, sought truth from facts, tried, and bravely reformed.

Data on China’s growth shows that China’s GDP surpassed 126 trillion yuan in 2023, with an economic growth of over 6 trillion yuan, equivalent to a medium-sized nation’s annual output.

Looking ahead, China must continue to promote reform to deal with complicated events both domestically and internationally, adapt to the upcoming wave of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, and meet the new expectations of the Chinese people.

When studied, the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee has suggested reforms that emphasise ecology, security, people’s welfare, politics, economy, culture, and the rule of law, among other topics. It suggests a thorough strategy to advance reform further.

In my analysis, it has identified over 300 major reform initiatives and established a schedule of reforms to be implemented by 2029, the year the People’s Republic of China celebrates its 80th anniversary.

I believe China’s further sweeping reforms will undoubtedly create many opportunities for Chinese modernisation and catalyse the country’s remarkable rebirth that might impact existing relationships and open more opportunities for African nations. The hallmark of Chinese modernisation is openness.

The statement that only an open China will become a modernised China, emphasised by President Xi Jinping, means a lot. China has achieved significant progress and improvements since the 18th CPC National Congress, adopting a more aggressive approach to opening up.

The country has come a long way towards becoming a significant trading power; its trade in services is among the best in the world, and its trade in goods has been the largest for seven years. Its status as a significant two-way investor has steadily increased, with its outward investment cooperation moving forward smoothly and its foreign investment structure continuously optimised.

Multilateral, bilateral, and regional economic and trade cooperation has produced several positive outcomes that have benefited many African nations.

China’s resolve to continue opening up, its pace of promoting opening up at a higher level, and its commitment to creating an open world economy will not be affected by the de-globalisation measures implemented by a few countries, such as decoupling, disrupting supply chains, and building small yards with high fences.

To those unaware, the 20th CPC Central Committee’s Third Plenary Session has approved several initiatives for high-standard opening up.

China is dedicated to advancing excellent cooperation through the Belt and Road Initiative, carrying out the Global Development Initiative, the Global Civilisation Initiative, and collaborating with other nations to create a global community for a shared future for all people.

China will also assist other developing countries in implementing what is known as small but beautiful public welfare initiatives and large hallmark projects.

This means that China will progressively open its labour, capital, commodity, and service markets to the outside world while unilaterally expanding its market access to the least developed nations in the world. China, which is modernising in the Chinese way, will give the globe more stability and new chances due to its latest development, which, in my view, opens up more opportunities for African nations.

President Xi has underlined that every nation has the inalienable right to growth rather than being a privilege granted only to sure. According to him, China and Africa constitute a society with a shared future that, compared to other participants, ushers in a winwin scenario.

As China progresses towards modernisation, it will be a good ally and peer. China and Africa must cooperate to provide a stable environment for implementing their individual development goals.

China has consistently encouraged Africa to explore its development path while following its own, and it has always provided African allies with the most total support and help possible.

The just-ended FOCAC held last week in Beijing from September 4–6, 2024, signals the commemoration of friendship and map out future directions for cooperation, where the leaders of China and Africa come together under the theme Joining Hands to Advance Modernisation and Build a HighLevel China-Africa Community with a Shared Future. After six years, this is the grand reunion of the China-Africa colossal family.

Along with being China’s most significant diplomatic gathering, it also draws the most considerable number of foreign dignitaries, including President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

The summit strengthened strategic coordination between China and Africa, forged widespread agreement on confronting obstacles, created a wide-ranging platform for exchanging development opportunities, and boosted solidarity and cooperation in the Global South.

China took advantage of this momentous occasion to join Africa in a new modernisation journey, to advance further the establishment of a Sino-Africa community with a shared future, and to open a new chapter in the promotion of understanding, affinities, and friendship between the peoples of China and Africa.

Combined, we all saw the strong message from our leaders about how China and Africa promote global modernisation and the revival of the global South.

One crucial thing, though, is that Tanzania isn’t a founding member of the FOCAC. Still, its participation as an invited nation has actively and deeply participated in the organisation’s cooperation in several spheres and strengthened its friendship with China, leading to several positive consequences and many more collaborations.

Undoubtedly, China and Tanzania have collaborated throughout history to combat pandemics and advance economic recovery.

The friendship between two peoples has been facilitated by interactions between individuals on various platforms and in multiple contexts.

To best serve the interests of the two peoples, I hope that Tanzania under Dr Samia and the upcoming leaders in future will embrace working with China, seizing the opportunity presented by the FOCAC Summit to strengthen political trust between the two countries further while fostering an exchange of best practices in governance and development strategies to usher in a new era in relations between Sino-Tanzania.