Professor Li Anshan Explains Why is Africa Important to China

File image of China's President Xi Jinping (C) speaks as South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa (L) and Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (R) look on, during the Forum On China-Africa Cooperation - Round Table Conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on September 4, 2018. Lintao Zhang / POOL / AFP

With the triennial Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit that will take place online and in Senegal less than three months away (it will likely occur in September), there’s growing speculation as to what will be on the agenda and what that will say about Beijing’s evolving priorities on the continent.

At this point, there’s no publicly available information that can provide any insight into what issues Chinese leaders plan to discuss with their African counterparts. So, we’re left to speculate a bit. Most observers believe that there will be less focus on the kinds of large-scale infrastructure projects and loan packages that were the hallmarks of previous FOCAC summits. Instead, there will be more discussion about public health issues (the Health Silk Road), technology (the Digital Silk Road), and sustainable development (the Green Belt and Road).

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by Eric Olander

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