The China-Africa Cooperation Forum, FOCAC, ends today with a Communique. Delivering the Keynote address at yesterday’s opening ceremony, Chinese President Xi pledged $60 billion in funding for African development initiatives in the next 3 years. He elaborated on the theme of the summit which is towards an even stronger China-Africa Community and a shared future.
The speech was warmly received by the 50 African heads of state who were in attendance.
An important address was delivered by the South African President Cyril Ramaphosa who debunked criticism of Chinese aid to Africa as neo-colonialism. He said it was a demonstration of cooperation in a win-win relationship.
President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, who is also Chairman of the AU underscored the benefit of China-Africa cooperation.
Nigerian president Buhari’s first engagement on arrival in Beijing at the weekend was an interactive session with the Nigerian Community in China at the Nigerian embassy.
Roundtable sessions were the key aspects of Monday’s summit meeting.
Our correspondent writes “China’s increasing investment profile on the African continent attracts mostly negative reactions from the Western media, some calling it a new colonialism. But is it?
Obviously, African leaders don’t agree. Total Chinese commitments to African infrastructure development now exceeds $40 billion. They include a modern, standard guage railway linking Mombasa in Kenya to Nairobi, which is planned to cross national borders and extend to Kigali in Rwanda. There is also the railway linking Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia to the Indian Ocean port of Djibouti”.
Elsewhere,among other critical projects, our correspondent adds that “while the United States extend sanctions against Zimbabwe, the Chinese build an airport at the Victoria Falls tourist Centre and renovate the Harare airport, deepening strategic bi-lateral relations” Finally, China/Africa trade volume now exceeds $116 billion.