Leaders of 17 political parties from 16 African countries participated in a video conference on Tuesday hosted by the Communist Party of China (CPC). While the theme “Modernization in line with national conditions: the exploration and practice of political parties in China and Africa” seems a bit of a snooze, these kinds of events are key to Chinese influence-building in the Global South.

Unlike many other major powers, Chinese diplomacy runs on both a country-to-country and a party-to-party tier. It allows the CPC to build relationships with counterparts overseas and simultaneously provides Beijing with a valuable hedge against sudden changes in power by shaping relations with both incumbent and opposition parties in key states.