For China, Africa’s allure grows amid feuds with West. But do risks outweigh its promise?

Observers say Africa’s strategic importance to Beijing is increasing, but political and economic volatility pose limits for partnership

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Chinese President Xi Jinping (centre) and leaders of African nations arrive to attend the opening of the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit in Beijing on Thursday. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 10:00am, 8 Sep 2024Updated: 5:29pm, 8 Sep 2024

At last week’s Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit in Beijing, attended by more than 50 African leaders, China once again pushed for its own development initiatives as an alternative to Western ones.

When Chinese President Xi Jinping opened the summit on Thursday, he called on Africa to join China in leading the modernisation of the Global South, which he said had suffered “injustice” at the hands of the West.

In a joint action plan adopted at the summit, China called for strengthened cooperation with Africa on supply chains and green technology as Beijing continues to navigate tech and trade restrictions put in place by the US, European Union and their allies.

Observers said Africa’s strategic importance to China was growing, but Beijing was also carefully weighing the opportunities and risks as it deepened engagement on the volatile continent.

Tang Xiaoyang, a Tsinghua University professor specialising in African studies, said the continent offered great political and economic support for China amid Western “containment”.

“If the developed countries in the world want to decouple [from China], then we, as the fastest-growing regions in the Global South, can strengthen our relations with each other,” said Tang, who is also a China Forum expert, adding that this could serve as a model for future cooperation mechanisms.

As tensions grow with the West, China has thrown its support behind mechanisms led by developing countries, such as FOCAC and Brics.