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The French Media’s View of FOCAC Was Decidedly Negative

by Eric Olander
TRANSLATION: "Where's the grant? Where's the contract? Where's the vaccine? Where's the debt?" Image via Radio France Internationale.

Generally, the French view of last week’s Forum on China-Africa Cooperation conference that took place in Senegal was not very positive. With headlines that spoke of Africa’s “disillusionment” with China or overtly racist cartoons depicting China’s vaccine donations on the continent, pessimism abounded.

One of the key themes that emerged, as depicted in this editorial cartoon published by state-run broadcaster Radio France Internationale, was the disempowerment of African countries at the ends of Xi Jinping and the Chinese state.

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