The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), established in 2000, is one of the most important mechanisms for China-Africa cooperation.

Since 2000, eight successful FOCAC events have been held, of which the third in 2006, sixth in 2015 and seventh in 2018 were upgraded to summits.

Over the 22 years since its establishment, the Forum has grown to become the most important framework for strengthening the China-Africa partnership at all levels, including the political, economic, cultural, and security fields.

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) which was established by China in 2013 to improve connectivity and cooperation on a transcontinental scale has become another important platform for China-Africa Cooperation.

As of 2022, 52 countries in Africa and the African Union have signed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation agreements with China, the largest number of countries from any continent in the world. Despite this, FOCAC has faced criticism and negative depiction about the overall meeting structure.

Related criticism has also questioned the true nature of China’s involvement in Africa and asked whether it truly gives Africa a seat on the table.

More recently, some analysis has been painting a picture of a weakening China-Africa relationship. So, is FOCAC only a high-level closed-door talk among elites with no tangible results? And is China losing interest in Africa and cutting back on its financial commitments? That’s what this report aims to answer, in two parts.

The first part explains the path and results of FOCAC meetings, through a comparison of the 2000 summit held in Beijing to the latest in 2021, held in Dakar.

The second part explores the economic achievements and challenges faced in the relationship. The report concludes with outlooks for future development, in particular on how China and Africa will further strengthen their mutual cooperation with the ultimate goal of improving lives of both peoples.

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China-Africa Report: Cooperation Mechanism, Achievements and Future Development