China’s relationship with Africa is vital to Beijing’s efforts to expand its influence in the western-dominated world order. China is Africa’s most significant trading partner and a crucial source of continental investment. Hence the importance of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation to both.
The forum’s summit, taking place every three years, provides a platform for China to show off its global influence, and for African nations, both individually and collectively, to engage with the world’s second-largest economy on political and economic matters.
This year’s summit is an opportunity for Africa to find a way through the challenges of the post-COVID era. Previous summits have yielded tangible benefits for African nations. For instance, Kenya has become the largest exporter of flowers to China, with annual exports valued at US$800 million, since the eighth China-Africa summit in Dakar in 2021.
