FORUM MECHANISM FACILITATING TRANSFORMATION AND UPGRADING OF CHINA-AFRICA COOPERATION

ZHANG HONGMING

Deputy Director and researcher, Institute of West-Asian and African Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

2018 is the “forum year” for China-Arica cooperation. The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (hereinafter referred to as the forum) is a platform for collective dialogue and mechanism of practical cooperation jointly created by China and African countries at the turn of the century, with the aim of establishing a new type of China-Africa strategic partnership for long-term stability and mutual benefits in the 21stcentury. The Chinese government’s promotion of the strategic importance of relations with Africa is due to a variety of factors, the most important of which is the change in demand for Africa triggered by the sustained and rapid growth of China’s economy against the backdrop of globalization. Thanks to the effective operation of the forum mechanism, China-Africa relations have shown a good trend of comprehensive and rapid development. Historically speaking, China-Africa cooperation in all fields has reached an unprecedented height. Africa has increasingly integrated itself into China’s diplomatic and developmental strategy and become an indispensable part of it.

The comparative study shows that since the 21stcentury, China’s interaction with Africa has been more smooth and fruitful than that of other continents. Similarly, at the intercontinental level, China is the only country that has seized the strategic opportunity in the competition and cooperation of major countries over Africa and thereby wins the strategic initiative in the new round of competition among countries over Africa. At present, the international impact of China’s activities in Africa,especially the international response is ever more significant. It can be said that China’s activities and presence in Africa have a profound impact not only on the relationship between China and African countries, but also on the relationship between China and the world’s major countries in Africa. All of this, in large part, has benefited from the effective functioning of the forum mechanism.

THE FORUM MECHANISM HAS LED CHINA-AFRICA COOPERATION PLANNING INTO A NEW PHASE OF DEVELOPMENT.

The establishment of the forum mechanism is an important event of epoch-making significance in the history of China-Africa relations, which has ushered in a new stage in the institutionalization, planning and development of China-Africa cooperation. The practical results also confirm that, as a mechanism for interregional international cooperation, the forum has played an important role in leading and promoting the development of China-Africa relations over the past 18 years.The creation of the forum mechanism not only promoted the strategic level of China-Africa cooperation, but also facilitated the expansion and maintenance of China’s interests in Africa. In fact,the forum mechanism has become an important platform for China to implement the “going into Africa” strategy and an effective tool for expanding and safeguarding China’s interests in Africa.Through the decision-making process which is based on consensus, the forum incorporated the political ideas or policy propositions shared by the two sides into the purposes of the forum in the form of a “joint declaration”, so as to transform them into consensus of the two sides. What is particularly important is that China and Africa successfully put their respective policy objectives in the“cooperation programme” or “action plan” through strategic alignment, so as to translate them into the common interests of both sides.

China’s investment in Africa has not only created hundreds of thousands of jobs, but also improved the infrastructure of Africa. The picture shows that on May 12,2017, the train passed the Mazeras railway bridge along the Mombasa Nairobi railway in Kenya. Mombasa-Nairobi railway, which connects Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, with Mombasa, the largest port in east Africa, and has a total length of about 480 kilometers, is a modern railway built with Chinese standards, technology and equipment.

The forum has played an important role in promoting institutionalization of China- Africa cooperation, which is reflected in the corresponding institutional arrangements produced by the forum in promoting and coordinating China-Africa cooperation. The role of the forum mechanism also lies in the fact that the Chinese government has used this platform to draw up a threeyear preliminary overall plan for China-Africa cooperation in various fields,thus putting China-Africa cooperation on the track of planning and development. Over a decade since the launch of the forum mechanism saw China’s most frequently introduced Africarelated policies and measures. These policies and measures cover almost all areas and levels of China-Africa cooperation. Through a comparative study of the policies and measures put forward by the Chinese government over the previous six sessions of the forum, we can clearly see the vitality of the forum mechanism in finding new cooperation methods, enriching the content of cooperation and expanding cooperation fields. In addition, by means of the“follow-up actions” mechanism of the forum, the Chinese government has also timely adjusted the size and layout of various relevant areas of cooperation as it sees fit in accordance with changes in the situation or demand, and has constantly expanded or experimented on new areas and ways of cooperation between China and Africa.

THE FORUM MECHANISM HAS PROMOTED RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF CHINA-AFRICA COOPERATION IN AN ALL-ROUND WAY.

As a mechanism of interregional international cooperation, the forum mechanism has played an important role in promoting and guiding the development of China-Africa cooperation relations over the past 18 years. Prior to the launch of the forum mechanism,China-Africa cooperation was relatively narrow in scope and single in form.Since the launch of the forum mechanism, China-Africa cooperation has reached unprecedented level in depth,scope, quantity and quality. As the top priority of China-Africa cooperation,China-Africa economic and trade cooperation has entered a new stage of sustained and rapid development. Since the 21stcentury, economic and trade cooperation has not only become the basis and driving force of China-Africa relations,but also increasingly integrated into China’s development strategy as aside from being the core content of China-Africa cooperation, business cooperation has become the goal of China’s policy towards Africa.

The following sets of data not only highlight the rapid development of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation since the launch of the forum mechanism, but also reflect the effect of China’s policy towards Africa in the 21stcentury. First, China’s trade with Africa achieved leapfrog growth from$10.6 billion in 2000 to $149.2 billion in 2016. Since 2009, China has been Africa’s largest trading partner for eight consecutive years. Africa’s exports to China rose from less than $5.6 billion to $56.9 billion over the same period. Second,China’s direct investment in Africa has steadily gone up, with investment flows increasing from $200 million in 2000 to $2.4 billion in 2016, and investment stocks from less than $500 million to more than $38 billion over the same period. China’s investment in Africa has not only created hundreds of thousands of jobs, but more importantly improved Africa’s infrastructure, thus helping African countries to enhance their capacity for self-development and sustainable development to some extent. Thirdly,the development cooperation between China and Africa has achieved remarkable results. As a strategic expenditure,China’s aid to Africa has not only promoted the socio-economic development of African countries, but also strengthened the public opinion basis of China-Africa cooperation, creating a favorable atmosphere for Chinese enterprises to“go into Africa” and explore African resources and markets.

It should be pointed out that since the second decade of the 21stcentury,while continuing to strengthen China-Africa economic and trade cooperation,China has paid more attention to the coordinated and balanced development of China-Africa cooperation in political,economic, social, cultural, environmental and security-related fields, which was fully reflected in the “Ten Cooperation Plans” put forward by president Xi Jinping at FOCAC Johannesburg Summit in December 2015. These practical initiatives have covered a wide range of areas and been backed with substantial financial support as never before.

THE NEW CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHINA-AFRICA RELATIONS AFTER THE LAUNCH OF THE FORUM MECHANISM

Since the launch of the forum mechanism, the concept, subject, content,structure and form of China-Africa cooperation have been advancing with the times. With the aid of the forum mechanism, the Chinese government has continuously introduced new policies and measures on the basis of maintaining the continuity of the concept and principles of Africa-related policy. These have contributed to the good situation and development trend of all-dimensional,multilevel and multi-channeled cooperation that covers wide-ranging areas.More importantly, the platform built by the forum has contributed innovative ideas to China-Africa cooperation, thus enabling China-Africa cooperation to exhibit many new trends.

First, planning and development have been given more attention in China-Africa cooperation. In the past,there was no multilateral regular meeting mechanism between China and African countries. China’s policy proposals toward Africa were usually made during Chinese leaders’ irregularly scheduled visits to African countries or meetings with visiting African leaders, which are random to some extent.The forum launched a mechanism for regular multilateral meetings between China and Africa at various levels, thus placing China-Africa cooperation on the track of institutionalization and planned development.

Second, more efforts have been made to underline the interests and concerns of both sides. In the past, policies and measures issued by China or African countries have more often than not reflected the will or aspiration of one side.After the launch of the forum mechanism, based on the principle of equality and mutual benefit, more attention has been paid to the will or willingness of both China and Africa in discussing and drawing up cooperation plans, and the actual needs and interests of each other have been attended to through strategic alignment, which has been fully reflected in the action plans adopted at previous forum sessions.

Thirdly, more efforts have been made towards the overall advancement of China-Africa cooperation. The forum mechanism not only enriches the content of China- Africa cooperation, but also serves as a booster for expanding cooperation space. Since the establishment of the forum, China-Africa cooperation has gradually expanded from business cooperation to all-round cooperation in many fields such as politics,economy, security, society, humanities and environment. Accordingly, within the framework of the forum, more than ten parallel sessions or sub-forums have been incubated.

Fourthly, greater emphasis has been placed on cross-border and crossregional cooperation between China and Africa. In the past, consultations and cooperation between China and African countries have been conducted on a one-on-one basis. Since the launch of the forum mechanism, China-Africa relations have gradually developed into a pattern featuring mutual promotion and balanced development of the bilateral and multilateral consultation mechanisms. After African Union Commission gained full membership of the forum in 2011, more than a dozen African sub-regional organizations have also been admitted as observers to the forum, opening up new prospects for cross-border and cross-regional cooperation between China and Africa.

At the initiative of the Chinese government, China and Africa agreed at the FOCAC Johannesburg Summit in 2015 to upgrade the “new type of strategic partnership” between China and Africa to a “comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership”, and to adopt“political equality and mutual trust, winwin economic cooperation, mutually enriching cultural exchanges, mutual assistance in security, and solidarity and coordination in international affairs” as the guiding principles for the development of China-Africa cooperation. As a trend, China-Africa cooperation will be led by business cooperation and investment, and develop towards coordinated advancement in political, economic,cultural, security and other fields.

Forum Mechanism Boosts Transformation and Upgrading of China-Africa Cooperation

OPEN A NEW ERA OF CHINA-AFRICA RELATIONS BASED ON EQUALITY, MUTUAL BENEFIT AND WIN-WIN COOPERATION

After the sustained and rapid development of China-Africa relations across the century, new thinking and measures are needed for China-Africa relations to continue to maintain a strong momentum and then jump to a new level. On December 4, 2015, president Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech titled “Open a New Era of China-Africa Win-Win Cooperation and Common Development”at the opening ceremony of the FOCAC Johannesburg summit, which, while fully and systematically interpreting China’s policy principle on developing relations with Africa, solemnly declared China’s commitment to opening a new era of China-Africa cooperation and development.

The new era calls for new actions and new look. The urgent task is to speed up the operation and formulation of China’s strategy to Africa under the overall framework of China’s national or international strategy. Given China’s strategy for Africa represents China’s overall strategic vision for planning and management, and concerns China’s overall, orientation, long-term, systemic and forward-looking issues or solutions towards Africa, and China’s major and long-term interests in Africa, it should become a priority in China’s engagement with Africa.

There may be guesses about the prospects or trends of China-Africa relations, but it depends to a large extent on changes in China’s demand for Africa.In fact, expanding and safeguarding China’s interests in Africa is not only the driving force for China’s interaction with African countries, but also the basis for China’s decision-making on Africa-related strategy. Since the beginning of the 21stcentury, the rapid expansion of China’s interests in Africa has rightly due to the change of demand for Africa been triggered by the fast improvement of China’s comprehensive national strength. As the trend indicates, in growing relations with Africa, China’s political principles, strategic planning,policy objectives, and the corresponding principles of action, resource allocation,implementation steps and operational strategy will fundamentally still be determined by the priorities in China’s demand for Africa. In view of the fact that China-Africa relations are long-term,strategic and cooperative in nature,China’s engagement with Africa should take into account overall planning from a strategic perspective, with an eye to the entire situation and long-term development. It’s also important to have new thinking, great wisdom and substantial resource at disposal, jump out of the narrow circle of Africa or China-Africa relations and consider the engagement with Africa from the perspective of national strategy. In order to effectively expand and safeguard China’s interests in Africa, and further develop Africa into a strategic exterior line in China’s geopolitical relations with major powers, as well as the strategic support for China’s sustainable economic development and its partners in global governance, China should uphold the policy principle of“sincerity, practical results, affinity and good faith” in engaging with Africa, the correct view of righteousness and benefit, and five development concepts of innovation, coordination, green, openness and sharing. It should firmly grasp the strategic opportunity, make full use of favorable opportunities and factors,and combine China’s own development closely with that of Africa to strengthen the community of share interests between China and Africa.

Specifically, China needs to do the following work in developing its relations with Africa: first, it should grasp Africa’s position in China’s national interests and strategies from the perspective of the whole situation. Second, we should take a global view of engagement with Africa and pay attention to the integrity of our work, so as to promote the coordinated development of China-Africa cooperation in all fields. Thirdly, overall consideration of the strategic layout of China’s economic and trade with Africa should be made from the perspective of overall national development strategy.Fourthly, efforts should be made to give full play to the advantages of China’s highly efficient administration to create synergy for China’s engagement with Africa. Fifthly, efforts should be made to properly handle the problems in China-Africa cooperation and take account of the interests and concerns of African countries appropriately. Sixthly, we should rationally deal with the competition of major powers in Africa so as to ease the international resistance against China’s “going into Africa”.

The year 2018 marks the “forum year”of China-Africa cooperation. Following the FOCAC Johannesburg summit in 2015, the leaders of China and Africa will meet in Beijing in September to discuss major issues of China-Africa cooperation. To its credit, the forthcoming forum in Beijing was upgraded once again to summit level, which is unique in the history of the forum and is expected to become the norm. This bodes well for an upgrade in the strategic level of China-Africa cooperation.Therefore, we have every reason to believe that China-Africa cooperation will usher in a new era of transformation and upgrading, mutual benefit and win-win results by improving the forum mechanism, exploring new modes of cooperation and tapping the potential of cooperation.