Lyn Frans
African leaders have convene in Beijing amid China’s growing influence, seeking alliance against U.S.-led global order.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has promised the leaders billions of dollars in loans and private investment over the next three years in addition to upgrading all diplomatic ties between China and Africa to a “strategic level”
“We have always understood and supported each other, setting an example for a new type of international relations,” he said at the opening ceremony of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.
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China’s significant presence in Africa has grown since the establishment of the forum in 2000. Chinese companies have made substantial investments in mining to secure essential resources for their industries, while development banks have provided loans for infrastructure projects such as railways, roads, and more as part of Xi’s Belt and Road initiative.
The dozens of African leaders who were present , have welcomed China’s support but aim for aid to better match the continent’s development objectives. They strive to industrialize their economies and boost agricultural exports to address a trade imbalance with China, now the primary bilateral trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa.
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In a sign of China’s expanding ties with Africa, Xi detailed 10 “partnership actions,” such as providing training for African politicians and future leaders, increasing access to the Chinese market, establishing agriculturemi demonstration sites, offering vocational and technical training, initiating green energy projects, and allocating 1 billion yuan ($140 million) in military aid grants.
“While commending the overall progress so far achieved, we also appreciate the announcement of further areas of partnership actions,” said Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Hassan ,speaking on behalf of Aastern Africa. “We salute a new characterization of China-Africa relations.”
Xi announced China’s plan to remove tariffs on goods from many of the world’s poorest nations, including 33 in Africa, expanding current tariff exemptions.
The relationship has evolved from trade and investment to encompass political dimensions as China seeks allies in Africa and other developing regions in its rivalry with the United States to shape global economic norms and international interactions.
“Modernization is a fundamental right of all nations,” Xi stated. “However, the Western approach has caused significant hardships for developing countries. Since the end of World War II, Third World nations, like China and African countries, have gained independence… and have been striving to rectify the historical injustices of the modernization process.”
