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Beijing is preparing to host the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit to be held from 3-4 September 2018. The event will not only be an occasion to evaluates prior activities and actions, but also sets expectations and draw a frame for the future direction of Sino-Africa bilateral relationships.
Themed « China and Africa: Toward an Even Stronger Community with a Shared Future through Win-Win Cooperation, » the upcoming FOCAC Beijing Summit will focus on five goals namely strengthened friendship between China and Africa, chart the course for developing future relations by synergising « the Belt and Road » Initiative, the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the African Union’s Agenda 2063, in order to build a stronger community and achieve a win-win cooperation between China and Africa.
It will also be question of promoting economic and trade cooperation, the idea being that cooperation be market-oriented instead of government-led and expand to production capacity from commodity trading.
The Beijing summit will discuss a coordinated and balanced development of their cooperation. They will promote also South-South cooperation, seeking new cooperation between developing countries and securing stronger international support for their efforts.
According to H.E.M Grum Abay, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia in Belgium, The FOCAC summit is a very good plateform for African leaders to really discuss and looking to matters that needs correction, matters that needs new directions. « It gives us an opportunity to discuss what we are been able to achieve in the past three years since the last summit, and to make the next steps of the cooperation wich corresponded to the new realites that both China, Africa and individual african countries are facing in terms of their own bilateralship with China also. I think it’s very important plateform for the futur cooperation between Africa and China », The Ambassador said.
« The expectations are in my view from this summit, how can we proceed forward in using this plateform to once again assist us in those developemental endeavours of African countries with basically regards, creation of jobs, industrialisation, manufacturing sectors. I beleive that the Chineese are aware of these expectations in African countries and as usual, they will come to meet us half way along this part, I beleive », he added.
Concerning « the belt and road » initiative, the 2030 UN objectives and the 2063 African Union objectives put together in order to built a common destiny between China and Africa, H.E. Ambassador Grum Abay said « with the type of experience that we have had so far in engaging with the Chineese and the results that we have witnessed in this cooperation, I think the African side will do its best in achieving results in these three projects taken together otherwise it is just going to be desastrous ».
The FOCAC which takes place every three years alternatively in China and Africa aims to promote diplomatic, trade, security and investment relations between China and African countries. It was established in 2000, as an effective mechanism for collective dialogue and multilateral cooperation between China and Africa. It has established an important framework and platform for the building of the new type of partnership between the two parties featuring long-term stability, equality and mutual benefits. Catherine Flore NGO BIYACK
