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China-Africa relations
ChinaDiplomacy

Africa keen for more Chinese development finance, despite economically bumpy road towards FOCAC summit

  • Concessional development finance, infrastructure and trade have been discussed at a retreat held to set the agenda for FOCAC’s autumn meeting
  • Held every three years, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation is traditionally where big financial commitments are made by China for Africa

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African diplomats are keen for more concessional lending from China for infrastructure projects, but with China’s economy still struggling, it is uncertain if the finance will return to pre-pandemic levels. Photo: AFP
Jevans Nyabiage
Chinese and African diplomats have started to negotiate the agenda for the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) taking place in Beijing later this year.
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Concessional development finance, infrastructure, trade, climate change and green development, and global governance are expected to top the agenda during the summit, according to diplomatic negotiations between China and African countries.
But FOCAC will also come at a time of growing economic uncertainty; China is facing a property crisis as well as weak business and consumer confidence, while many African countries are in debt distress.
Although the era of massive Chinese bilateral lending is over, observers have said they expect Beijing to accelerate investments in Africa that focus on agriculture, industrialisation and beneficiation – mineral processing.

On April 23-24, 42 diplomats from 29 embassies, including 20 African ambassadors in China, met at a retreat in Beijing to work on setting the FOCAC agenda. The retreat was jointly organised by Beijing-based consultancy Development Reimagined and the African Union representative office in China.

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Attendees went over commitments that were made at the last FOCAC, held in 2021, and talked about attracting Chinese development finance, trade and strengthening agricultural cooperation, which has become a key focus for China to increase imports of food products from Africa. Climate change and green development, global governance, health and pharmaceutical production were also discussed, according to Development Reimagined.
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