The BRICS group wrapped up its two-day leaders’ summit in Rio de Janeiro on Monday. The summit’s final communique is a 16,000-word doorstop that covers numerous issues from economics to education.
The communique avoids any direct mention of the United States, and references to “unilateralism” and other coded criticism are also relatively scarce. Rather, the communique keeps the focus on the BRICS’ vision of the strengthening and reform of the global multilateral system ...
Category: FOCAC
Africa-China 2025: Tracking Priorities on Both Sides
2025 marks a quarter-century since the first Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit. Since then, Africa-China engagement has been nothing short of transformational - both changing skylines across the continent and reshaping the role of the Global South in world politics more broadly.
Why China is a Major Obstacle to African Countries’ Ambitions to Move Up the Manufacturing Value Chain
Luring more Chinese investment to set up factories in Africa was a major theme of this year's Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit that took place last month in Beijing. While there's some evidence that Chinese manufacturers are setting up shop ...
Roundtable: What the China-Africa Forum Means for Clean Energy in Africa
By Tom Baxter Over 50 African heads of state gathered in Beijing on 4-6 September for the 9th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). As per tradition, the triennial meeting concluded with an action plan and a declaration.
FOCAC and the Recalibration of Africa-China Relations
By Chris Alden and Lukas Fiala As the news cycle surrounding last week’s Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) is gradually slowing down, it’s time to think about the bigger picture and what this summit has achieved. While not evident at first ...
Chinese Online Reaction to Africa Summit Was Curious But Subdued Compared to Previous FOCACs
By Chi Yuan, CGSP China Researcher The recent FOCAC summit held in Beijing sparked a lively discussion online and triggered a largely skeptical response from the country's vast online community in response to President Xi Jinping's latest financial pledge for the ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
African Deals Signed in Beijing Reveal Resurgence in China-Africa Relations
Kenya signed a $280.9 million loan agreement with China Development Bank to refurbish rural roads. The deal will tackle fifteen different road projects across the country. Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury and Economic Planning, John Mbadi, signed the agreement in Beijing late ...
Kenyan Opposition Leader Slams President for Going to Africa Summit in China
One of Kenyan President William Ruto's most outspoken rivals, Raila Odinga, head of the opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), blasted the president for traveling to China to attend last week's Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit that took place in Beijing. "I ...
[DOUBLE EPISODE] The China-Africa Summit Debrief
The three-day Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit wrapped up in Beijing on Friday. The big headline from this year's gathering was the announcement that China will provide $50.7 billion in financing to African countries over the next three years.
FOCAC and China’s Global Messaging
This year’s Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was partly aimed at reinvigorating a relationship many had framed as declining. Preceded by new data showing that Chinese project financing in Africa increased after a multi-year fall, China sought to use FOCAC to present an image of its engagement with ...
China Pushes Smaller, Smarter Loans to Africa to Shield From Risks
By Matthew Walsh China's years of splashing cash on big-ticket infrastructure projects in Africa may be over, analysts say, with Beijing seeking to shield itself from risky, indebted partners on the continent as it grapples with a slowing economy at home. ...
Key Pledges on Sidelines of China-Africa Summit
African leaders secured a wide range of commitments to enhance cooperation in infrastructure, agriculture, mining, trade, and energy sectors at China's largest summit in years. Bilateral meetings this week in Beijing on the sidelines of the Africa-China forum have resulted in ...
S. Africa’s Ramaphosa Hails China’s $50 Billion Pledge as ‘Great Boon’ for Continent
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called Chinese leader Xi Jinping's pledge on Thursday of $50 billion in financing to Africa over the next three years a "great boon" for the continent. "I am very positively disposed to the amount of money ...