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Correspondent 

THE China-Africa relationship is now at its best in history.

This was the bold declaration by China’s President Xi Jinping while delivering his keynote address on September 5 to the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit held in  Beijing.

The declaration was significant not just in capturing the 70-year history between the two sides, but also the future that is fraught with opportunities, with China proposing the most significant prospects of the relationship — which are far greater than any other offer from anywhere in the world.

President Xi’s speech was both pragmatic and struck the right political notes, leaving no doubt about the direction that China and Africa are moving.

It is an historical moment.

First, President Xi proposed that bilateral relations between China and all African countries having diplomatic ties with China be elevated to the level of strategic relations, and that the overall characterisation of China-Africa relations be elevated to an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era. 

This statement has huge implications on how African countries, including Zimbabwe, can singly and collectively engage with the Asian giant. Already, as ongoing discussions on the summit will demonstrate, there is a clear plan for Zimbabwe on how it fits in this matrix. Presidents Mnangagwa and Xi met in a bilateral engagement in Beijing ahead of the summit and discussed various areas of cooperation; and the Zimbabwe leader was left massively impressed with the direction of the bilateral relations.

President Xi oulined a number of areas that the two sides can cooperate with particular focus on advancing modernisation: the summit ran under the theme, “Joining Hands to Advance Modernisation and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future.”

He outlined 10 partnership action plans, to be implemented in the next three years, covering the areas of mutual learning among civilizations, trade prosperity, industrial chain cooperation, connectivity, development cooperation, health, agriculture and livelihoods, people-to-people and cultural exchanges, green development and common security.

Significant cooperation will be undertaken in these areas, which,  when fully realised will likely transform Africa,  and cement cooperation and mutual affinity between the continent and the world’s second largest economy.

Some of the commitments that President Xi outlined include, deepening cooperation with Africa in industry, agriculture, infrastructure, trade and investment, promote exemplary, high-quality Belt and Road cooperation projects, and build together a model for the delivery of the Global Development Initiative; promoting personnel training, poverty reduction and employment,  enhancing people-to-people and cultural exchanges with Africa and helping Africa build “green growth engines,” narrow the gap in energy accessibility, adhere to the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, and jointly push for the global transition to green and low-carbon development.

He further stated that China was ready to help Africa improve its capacity in safeguarding peace and stability independently, 

The Action Plans that President Xi proposed are summarised below:

Partnership Action for Mutual Learning among Civilisations: A platform for governance experience sharing, a China-Africa knowledge network for development, and 25 centers on China and Africa studies, with leadership academies being used to cultivate talents for governance, and invite 1 000 members of African political parties to China to deepen exchanges of experience in party and state governance;

Partnership Action for Trade Prosperity: Under this, China will voluntarily and unilaterally open its market wider and accord developing countries  including 33 countries in Africa, zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines.  This will expand market access for African agricultural products, deepen cooperation with Africa in e-commerce and other areas, and launch a “China-Africa quality enhancement programme.” China has pledged to enter into framework agreements on economic partnership for shared development with African countries to provide long-term, stable and predictable institutional guarantee for trade and investment between the two sides;

Partnership Action for Industrial Chain Cooperation: Under this arrangement, China will foster industry cooperation growth clusters with Africa, push forward the Pilot Zone for In-depth China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation, and launch an “African SMEs empowerment program.” China will build with Africa a digital technology cooperation centre and initiate 20 digital demonstration projects so as to embrace together the latest round of technological revolution and industrial transformation.

Partnership Action for Connectivity: Under this China will carry out 30 infrastructure connectivity projects in Africa, promote together high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and put in place a China-Africa network featuring land-sea links and coordinated development. This will  assist the development of the African Continental Free Trade Area, and deepen logistics and financial cooperation for the benefit of trans-regional development in Africa;

Partnership Action for Development Cooperation: China, in line with its Global Development Initiative, implement 1 000 “small and beautiful” livelihood projects and provide more support through the China-World Bank Group Partnership Facility to boost Africa’s development. China also pledged to support Africa in hosting the 2026 Youth Olympic Games and the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations;

Partnership Action for Health: Under this, China  pledged to establish with Africa a hospitals alliance and joint medical centers and undertook to send 2,000 medical personnel to Africa, and launch 20 programmes of health facilities and malaria treatment as well as encourage Chinese companies to invest in Africa’s pharmaceutical production, and continue to assist Africa with epidemic response. China also supports the development of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to strengthen public health capacity in all African countries.

Partnership Action for Agriculture and Livelihoods: China will provide Africa with RMB1 billion yuan in emergency food assistance, build 100 000 mu (about 6 670 hectares) of standardised agriculture demonstration areas in Africa, send 500 agricultural experts, and establish a China-Africa agricultural science and technology innovation alliance. We will implement 500 programmes in Africa to promote community welfare. We will also encourage two-way investment for new business operations by Chinese and African companies, enable Africa to retain added value, and create at least one million jobs for Africa;

Partnership Action for People-to-People Exchanges: Under this plan,  China will implement the Future of Africa-Vocational Education Cooperation Plan, establish an engineering technology academy, and build ten Luban Workshops as well as provide 60 000 training opportunities to Africa, mainly for women and youths. China will undertake cooperation on innovation in radio, TV and audio and visual programmes;

Partnership Action for Green Development: This entails China launching 30 clean energy projects in Africa, put in place meteorological early warning systems, and carry out cooperation in disaster prevention, mitigation and relief as well as biodiversity conservation. Under this plan, a China-Africa forum on peaceful use of nuclear technology will be established as well as 30 joint laboratories, and collaborate on satellite remote sensing and lunar and deep-space exploration. According to President Xi, these initiatives are designed to help with green development in Africa;

Partnership Action for Common Security: To address security challenges in Africa, China will give Africa RMB1 billion yuan (about US$114mn) of grants in military assistance, provide training for 6,000 military personnel and 1,000 police and law enforcement officers from Africa, and invite 500 young African military officers to visit China. The two sides will conduct joint military exercises, training and patrol, carry out an “action for a mine-free Africa,” and jointly ensure the safety of personnel and projects.

Where’s the money at?

Excitingly, President Xi pledged RMB360 billion yuan (over US$50 billion) of financial support to Africa in undertaking these programmes for the next three years, broken down to credit lines, “assistance in various forms”, investment in Africa by Chinese companies.

Following his speech on Thursday, this has become a huge talking point, with many commentators welcoming the funding mechanism and the impact it will have on the continent.

Good politics

President Xi’s engagement with African leaders has been respectful and mutually reinforcing, and his speech reflected this particularly highlighting on the commonalities between the two sides, and not acting like some sort of Big Brother.

Throughout the speech, he framed the relationship between China and Africa as one of equal partners, whose destinies are tied together.

He said: “China has advanced forward hand in hand with our African brothers and sisters in the spirit of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith. We stand shoulder to shoulder with each other to firmly defend our legitimate rights and interests as once-in-a-century changes sweep across the world. We get stronger and more resilient together by riding the tide of economic globalization, delivering tangible benefits to billions of ordinary Chinese and Africans. We share weal and woe in fighting natural disasters and epidemics together, creating touching stories of China-Africa friendship. We always empathise with and support each other, setting a stellar example of a new type of international relations.”

China has a unique history with Africa, and is viewed positively because of historical friendship and brotherhood: this is a solid legacy that President Xi could easily celebrate, which cannot be enjoyed by any other leader in the West.  

Riding on the history of the two sides is not just a privilege or political opportunism.

It is a reality that takes into account the commonalities between China and Africa.

Subsequently, President Xi correctly noted that the destinies of Africa and China are tied, and their modernisation linked.

“China and Africa’s joint pursuit of modernization will set off a wave of modernisation in the Global South, and open a new chapter in our drive for a community with a shared future for mankind,” he said.