By Vsevolod Sviridov
The ninth forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and the FOCAC summit held in Beijing on September 4-6 marked a significant phase in Africas relations with its global partners in the post-Covid era. China is the last major partner to hold a summit with African nations following the end of the pandemic; Africa summits were held by the EU and the US in 2022, and by Russia in 2023.
The pandemic, coupled with rising global tensions, macroeconomic shifts, and a series of crises, underlined Africas growing role in the global economy and politics something that China, which has undergone major changes (both internal and external) as a result of the pandemic, and of which it is well aware.
It is clear that the relationship between China and Africa is entering a new phase. China is no longer just a preferential economic partner for Africa, as it had been in the first two decades of the 21st century. It has become a key political and military ally for many African countries. This is evident from Chinas increasing role in training African civil servants and sharing expertise with them, as well as from several initiatives announced at the summit, including military-technical co-operation: officer training programs, mine clearing efforts, and over $100 million which China will provide to support the armed forces of African nations.
In the political arena, however, Beijing is proceeding very cautiously, and the above-mentioned initiatives should be seen as the first tentative attempts rather than a systematic strategy.
