Devendra Kumar
Xi Jinping hosted a summit in Beijing this week with delegates from over 50 African countries, aiming to solidify China’s position as Africa’s leading foreign partner.
In a grand ceremony on Thursday, alongside African leaders and the UN secretary general at the Great Hall of the People, Xi committed to elevating China-Africa relations to an “all-weather community with a shared future.”
This designation, usually reserved for China’s closest diplomatic allies, highlighted Beijing’s determination to strengthen ties.
Xi promised more than $50 billion in financial aid, the creation of one million jobs, and significant food and military assistance over the next three years.
He also pledged to deepen cooperation with Africa in sectors like industry, agriculture, infrastructure, trade, and investment.
Leaders such as South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, Kenya’s William Ruto, and Nigeria’s Bola Tinubu attended the three-day forum, which China promoted as its largest diplomatic event in years.
However, the summit took place against the backdrop of China scaling back its once-ample funding for African development projects.
This reduction follows China’s own economic slowdown and critiques that Chinese lending had contributed to unsustainable debt for African nations.
Amid this shift, other global powers, including the United States, have been intensifying their efforts to strengthen ties with Africa, competing with China for political influence and access to critical resources, which are essential for the global green energy transition.
The summit, officially the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, provided an opportunity for Xi to reassure African leaders of China’s long-term commitment.
Beijing’s support has grown increasingly vital as China’s relations with the West become more strained.
While Xi and his officials underscored China’s ongoing investment in Africa, particularly in infrastructure, data suggests a notable decrease in Chinese lending for large-scale projects in recent years.
Xi announced plans to support 30 infrastructure connectivity projects across multiple countries and to develop a “network of land-sea links.”
He also promised to launch 30 clean energy projects, with the goal of positioning Africa as a market for China’s green technology, including solar panels and electric vehicles, which now face tariffs in the U.S. and Europe.
In a series of bilateral meetings, additional deals were struck. For example, China, Zambia, and Tanzania signed a memorandum of understanding to revitalize the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority line, while Nigeria and China discussed plans to enhance the West African nation’s transportation infrastructure, ports, and free trade zones.
Despite these announcements, analysts noted that China’s financial support of approximately $50 billion for Africa, though higher than the 2021 summit, remained less substantial compared to previous decades.
Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, remarked that while the figure is significant, it is spread across numerous countries and sectors, resulting in less funding for infrastructure compared to earlier periods.
African leaders arrived in Beijing seeking investment and assistance in industrializing their raw commodity sectors to generate jobs. They will closely monitor China’s follow-through on its promises, as past commitments have been difficult to track, according to analysts.
The summit also unfolded under the looming shadow of a debt crisis, with many African countries struggling with foreign debt, including loans from China, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This raised questions about China’s role in contributing to the debt burden.
While earlier claims of a “debt trap”—alleging that China deliberately sought to indebt countries to gain leverage over their assets—have largely been debunked by analysts, China’s lending practices did contribute to the debt issue.
South Africa’s President Ramaphosa rejected the notion that China’s investments were intended to entrap African nations in debt, stating, “when China invests, it is not with the intention of causing a debt trap or crisis.”
China is not seen as the main cause of African debt distress, as loans from Chinese lenders represent a relatively small portion of Africa’s public debt. Nonetheless, Beijing’s loans have added to the financial strain.
While China has defended its lending and made efforts to ease debt repayment, critics argue that its response has been slow and inflexible in providing relief to heavily indebted countries.
These realities, coupled with China’s economic slowdown, have led to a reduction in large-scale lending.
Even before the pandemic, Chinese lenders had begun transitioning to smaller projects with a focus on environmental and social impact. Xi highlighted these “small yet beautiful” investments during the summit, but he did not address the debt burden in his public remarks.
Throughout the summit, Xi portrayed both China and Africa as victims of Western modernization, alluding to the historical injustices of colonialism and exploitation.
He emphasized that China, alongside Africa, would lead a new wave of modernization in the Global South.
Observers see this rhetoric as part of China’s broader effort to position itself as a leader of the Global South and a counterweight to the U.S.
By portraying the West as the source of Africa’s past challenges, Xi sought to strengthen ties with African nations amid increasing geopolitical rivalry with the U.S.
China’s Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, welcomed the growing international interest in Africa but cautioned against a “condescending approach” from other nations.
Meanwhile, leaders at the summit dismissed the notion of competition between China and the West. Senegal’s Foreign Minister, Yassine Fall, stated that “Africans today are saying that China is on our side.”
While China remains pivotal to Africa’s development, analysts note that African nations are unlikely to sever ties with the U.S. or other global partners.
“African leaders created the impression that China is still crucial,” said Paul Nantulya, a senior China specialist at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, but he added, “They do not want to isolate themselves from opportunities and multiple partnerships.”
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