Chinese and African leaders hold a summit on deepening cooperation in a divided world
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Loading... - Nora Kingma
- 05 Sep 2024
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Dozens of African leaders gathered in Beijing for the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, a summit that highlights China's growing influence in Africa and its efforts to push back against the U.S.-led global order.
President Xi Jinping promised African leaders billions of dollars in loans and private investment over the next three years, aiming to elevate relations with all African countries that have diplomatic ties with China to the "strategic" level.
10 Partnership Actions
Xi outlined 10 "partnership actions" to strengthen China-Africa relations, including:
- Training for African politicians and future leaders
- Further opening of the Chinese market
- Agriculture demonstration areas
- Vocational and technical training
- Green energy projects
- 1 billion yuan ($140 million) in grants for military assistance
Tanzania's President, Samia Suluhu Hassan, speaking on behalf of eastern Africa, welcomed the partnership actions and commended the progress achieved so far.
Xi announced that China would eliminate tariffs on products from most of the world's poorest countries, including 33 in Africa, in an expansion of existing tariff exemptions. African leaders are seeking to industrialize their economies and expand agricultural exports to reduce a trade deficit with China.
The China-Africa relationship has moved beyond trade and investment to take on political overtones, with China seeking allies in Africa and elsewhere in the developing world to compete with the United States in defining the norms governing the global economy and international relations.
President Xi emphasized that modernization is an inalienable right of all countries, but criticized the Western approach to modernization, which he believes has inflicted immense sufferings on developing countries. He called for China and African countries to work together to redress historical injustices and promote a new type of international relations.
