Forum on China-Africa Cooperation

(Prelims: Contemporary International Developments)

Recently, China hosted the 9th edition of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit in Beijing.

Introduction: Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) is an official forum between the People’s Republic of China and African states.
Establishment: It was established on October 10, 2000.
Member Countries: Currently 53 African countries (Swatini is not a member).
Representation: Each African state represents itself in FOCAC and all activities are implemented bilaterally between China and African countries.
Theme of 2024 Summit: ‘Joining hands to promote modernization and build a high-level Chinese-African community of destiny’

African countries' demands

African leaders want quick financing solutions to the growing debt crisis on the African continent in the Beijing Action Plan of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation for 2025-2027.
Also, new job creation investment pledges proposed at the Dakar Summit in 2021 and China's assured purchase of $300 billion worth of African goods should be fulfilled.

China, the world's second-largest economy, is Africa's largest trading partner. It wants to exploit the continent's vast natural resources, such as copper, gold, lithium and rare earth minerals.
For more than a decade, China has invested more than $120 billion in African infrastructure projects through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), funding hydropower plants, railways and roads across the continent.
China has also provided billions of dollars in loans to African countries, helping to build much-needed infrastructure there. However, this has also led to controversy in some countries due to excessive debt burden on governments.