FOCAC 2024 aims to renew the China-Africa relationship

Significance

This was the largest FOCAC event ever, bringing together leaders of 53 African countries and their Chinese counterparts. The event aimed to reinvigorate the Sino-African relationship after a tumultuous half-decade; however, significant questions regarding debt and the character of trade relations remain.

Impacts

• FOCAC did not feature any debt relief or restructuring deals, but the nature of the pledge package was more diverse than previous editions.
• New scholarships and training opportunities offered by China aim to cement its influence on the continent.
• FOCAC also produced promises of trade liberalisation in the agricultural sector, part of Xi’s promise to create 1 million jobs in Africa.
• Rhetoric on shared histories of marginalisation and alternative development paths responds to growing geopolitical competition over Africa.