China’s relationship with Africa is growing murkier
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. It has been the highlight of most African leaders’ diplomatic calendar for nearly a quarter of a century. Ever since the inaugural Forum on China-Africa Co-operation (FOCAC) in Beijing in 2000, the triennial shindig has been treated as a barometer by analysts seeking clues about the evolving state of relations between Africa and its biggest trading partner.
At first glance this year’s summit, the first to be held in-person since the pandemic, is no different. Chinese media are awash with coverage of an event that allows President Xi Jinping to pose as the undisputed leader of the global south. Billed by China’s foreign ministry as a “grand reunion of the China-Africa big family", more than two dozen African leaders are in attendance.
Yet in many African countries the run-up to the summit had been muted. One reason is a perception that China has become less interested in Africa. At the previous FOCAC, held virtually between China and Senegal, China made new financial pledges adding up to $40bn—a third less than it had promised in both 2015 and 2018.
About half of the reduction was due to a slump in infrastructure borrowing. In several African countries, notably Ethiopia, Zambia and Kenya, governments struggled to pay off debts they had accrued while building big-ticket infrastructure over the preceding decade. By 2021 the value of official new loans from China to African countries had fallen to about 0.15% as a share of African GDP, from a peak of 1.2% in 2016, according to Boston University.
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