As we approach the ninth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), it’s time for African nations to reimagine their engagement with China. This upcoming summit is a watershed moment, as this will be the first FOCAC meeting since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the well-established patterns of exchange between our continents.
The pandemic’s impact on China-Africa relations has been profound. We’ve witnessed a freeze in the “conveyor belt” of people and goods between the two regions. The last FOCAC saw a notable dip in infrastructure financing and a shift from state-led initiatives to private-sector engagement.
These changes signal a need for a strategic recalibration on Africa’s part.
I propose five key recommendations for African nations as we prepare for this crucial meeting:
- First, Africa must take greater ownership of its strategic thinking. While China has released multiple official statements and papers on its strategy in Africa, there’s a glaring absence of corresponding papers detailing strategic approaches to China from African countries, regional bodies, or the continent as a whole. This asymmetry leaves Africa perpetually in a reactive stance, scrambling for benefits rather than driving the agenda. We should learn from the China-Latin America and Caribbean Forum (China-CELAC), in which countries coordinate their positions before engaging with China. Such preparation would strengthen the continent’s collective bargaining power.
- Second, Africa needs to pivot from seeking aid to securing preferential market access in China. While some nations like Kenya and Mauritius have made individual efforts, a coordinated continental approach is long overdue. We must recognize the complexity of China’s economy – national, provincial, and municipal – and target niche markets strategically. Access to a single city like Beijing or Shanghai can yield significant opportunities.
- Third, it’s time to move beyond rhetoric and implement concrete policies to shift from aid dependency to trade partnerships. This transition requires structural changes within our economies, a coherent strategy across the continent, and greater transparency in agreements to ensure citizens’ interests are protected.
- Fourth, we must leverage FOCAC to catalyze the transformation of African economies. For too long, we’ve been exporters of raw materials and importers of finished goods. We need to reverse this dynamic, focusing on industrial development and moving up the value chain. While China cannot – and should not – be expected to develop Africa, it can play a crucial role in this transformation if we approach the partnership strategically.
- Finally, African countries should push for better division of labor and specialization in Africa-China relations and in the continent’s external partnerships more broadly. Right now, there is an abundance of “Africa Plus One” summits, in which the entire continent gathers to meet with one external partner. Instead of having 54 African heads of state march into each meeting with an external partner, we should create task forces comprising a smaller group of countries to represent Africa’s interests in its extra-continental relationships.
These recommendations come at a critical juncture. The global economic landscape is shifting, and Africa must position itself advantageously. Africa’s relationship with China, while important, should be just one part of a diversified approach to international partnerships.
As African leaders prepare for FOCAC, they must remember that the future of our continent lies in our hands. The potential for mutually beneficial cooperation between Africa and China is immense. However, realizing this potential requires a paradigm shift in how we engage.
We must move from being passive recipients of Chinese initiatives to active architects of our shared future, and approach these negotiations with a clear vision, unified voice, and unwavering commitment to our development goals. It’s not enough to simply show up at the table; we must come prepared to shape the menu. We must also remain accountable to our people for how we engage external partners, respond to the popular demand to preserve democracy, and create platforms for independent voices to comment on and shape our engagement strategies.
As we look towards FOCAC and beyond, let us embrace this opportunity to redefine Africa-China relations. By focusing on strategic market access, value addition, popular inclusion, and economic transformation, we can ensure that this partnership truly serves the interests of the African people. The time for ad hoc engagement is over. Africa’s future demands nothing less than a comprehensive, coordinated, and forward-thinking approach to our relations with China and the world at large.
Paul Nantulya is a research associate at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies. The views expressed in this column are his personal views.
