FOFAC Summit provides great opportunities for strengthening China-Africa relations: expert

JOHANNESBURG - The upcoming Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) will ensure that Africa's development priorities are top on the agenda, an expert has said.

The summit, scheduled for December 4-5 will be the first to be held on the African continent.

"The meeting should prioritize the incorporation of mutual priorities such as issues of peace and security and regional infrastructure links," Yu-Shan Wu, Foreign Policies Programme Researcher at the South African Institute of International Affairs told Xinhua in an interview.

The African Union has set out the continent's priorities in its agenda 2063. Top on this agenda is the continent's ambition to build "a prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development".

Considering that China is already far developed compared to Africa, Wu said this year's meeting will provide a good chance for Africa to be clear about what it wants from China.

Wu said, "China's engagement in Africa provides increased policy choices for Africa.

"The FOCAC platform is very important to Chinese and African policy markers in order to mark achievements and direct the way forward for relations," she said.

Africa is expected to seek China's assistance in areas such as industrial development, direct investment, infrastructure development and technology transfer.

With China currently being Africa's largest trading partner, it is expected to increase its financing commitment to Africa. In the past FOCAC meetings China has doubled its financing commitment. This commitment, which provides a credit line to African countries, increased from five billion U.S. dollars in 2006 to 20 billion U.S. dollars in 2012.

"It is important for Africans to identify key priorities for the continent and also know what they want from China," Wu said.

However, Wu said, Africa's failure to approach China as one bloc is hindering maximum benefit from their mutual relationship.

"One challenge is the need for greater African coordination on engaging China. China's relations are both multilateral and also based on bilateral links with individual states.

"There is need to follow-up and monitor cooperation projects as well as closing the gap between business, government and public perceptions on understanding China,"said Wu.

Wu said there is no doubt that FOCAC has taken Africa-China relationship to a higher level.

"It provides a platform upon which the very cooperation can be explored and discussed. It is also an indication of how relations have expanded.

"One area for example, is the support and intention for more exchanges between Chinese and Africans and that helps in building mutual understanding," said Wu.

The AU states in its agenda 2063 that connecting all African capitals and commercial centres through the Africa integrated high speed train initiative is a key priority in its infrastructure development programme.

Wu said the coming FOCAC meeting will provide Africa with an opportunity to learn from China's high-speed rail network.

FOCAC was established in 2000. The organisation's website describe its key function as, "A platform established by China and friendly African countries for collective consultation and dialogue and a cooperation mechanism between the developing countries, which falls into the category of South-South cooperation."

In its Beijing's declaration of FOCAC, China pledges to give preference to importing African products and to provide special funding to Chinese companies willing to invest in Africa.

China has earned respect for settling for a win-win relationship with Africa. One example is in the area of extraction of minerals from Africa, where China has pledged its willingness to assist Africans with beneficiation technology to ensure the continent gets maximum benefit from its resources.