China in Africa: September 2024

Early Arrivals: Ahead of the triennial Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), President Cyril Ramaphosa led a South African delegation to Beijing for an official state visit. The leaders announced that the relationship between the two countries would be upgraded to “all-round strategic cooperative partnership for a new era.” Chinese leaders committed to reducing the countries’ trade deficit by allowing more South African exports into China and affirmed their support for reforms of the UN Security Council.

FOCAC by the Numbers: The month began with Beijing hosting FOCAC from September 4 to 6. Fifty-one African heads of state attended the summit, in addition to two presidential representatives, with the lone absence of Eswatini (which has historically abstained from FOCAC due to its diplomatic relations with Taiwan). China pledged over $50 billion of investment on the continent in the next three years, an increase from the $40 billion promised at FOCAC in 2021, but below its $60 billion commitment at the summit in 2018.

Chinese President Xi Jinping met individually with thirty-six African delegations: from Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

In a toast at the opening ceremony of the summit, Xi emphasized China’s historic commitment to Africa and laid out priorities for the future, saying,

“The China-Africa community with a shared future is deeply rooted in our traditional friendship. Since the mid-twentieth century, we have been fighting shoulder to shoulder imperialism, colonialism, and hegemonism, and advancing hand in hand along the path of development, revitalization, and modernization. China-Africa friendship remains robust and is growing stronger through generations no matter how the world changes.”

Infrastructure Commitments: Among the dozens of new projects and agreements announced at FOCAC, the largest were aimed at Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Several agreements provided funds to complete rail and highway projects, including funding for the Lagos-Calabar railway in Nigeria, extending Kenya’s Standard Guage Railway and fifteen road construction projects, a high-speed rail project in Morocco, and signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Tanzania and Zambia to revitalize the TAZARA railway line.

Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema signed three MoU with China’s state power company, Power China, and an agreement with Chinese firm Datang to invest in and construct a two-hundred-twenty-megawatt renewable energy project, in addition to building two solar plants in the country. Power China also agreed to support expanded rooftop solar panel use in Zambia. Benin, Burundi, the Republic of Congo, Seychelles, and Zimbabwe all signed agreements to engage in (as yet unspecified) Belt and Road Initiative projects.

Expansion of the Global Security Initiative: In a speech at FOCAC, Xi also announced new security commitments on the continent via the Global Security Initiative, one of the country’s newer frameworks aimed at increasing its influence in the global security architecture. In Africa specifically, China’s president promised to provide training for six thousand military personnel and one thousand law enforcement officers, invite African military officers to China, increase joint military exercises, coordinate with African partners to provide security for joint projects, and offer grants in military assistance.

 An Atlantic Naval Base: Amid speculation that China is seeking to build an Atlantic naval base on Gabon’s coast, China and Gabon also signed multiple bilateral agreements to fund public infrastructure projects during FOCAC. Several experts have highlighted the growing U.S.-China security competition occurring on Africa’s Atlantic coast. Reports suggest the United States is working to prevent any potential base, with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell warning Gabon’s interim President Brice Oligui Nguema in July that a proposed Chinese military training facility in the country would risk an encroaching presence from Chinese forces, as well as reports that the United States has put together a $5 million security assistance package for Gabon ahead of a visit from Nguema to Washington, DC, in the fall.