Sino-African Ties in the Fast Lane

　　A review of China-Africa relations in 2015

　　The year 2015 is undoubtedly a milestone in Sino-African relations. In the beginning of the year， Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Africa， maintaining China’s tradition in diplomacy that the foreign minister’s first trip abroad in a new year should be to Africa. The countries he visited on the continent were Kenya， Sudan， Cameroon， Equatorial Guinea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

　　Wang also participated in the special consultation in support of the South Sudan peace process led by the African trade bloc Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). He put forward China’s initiative on promoting the peace process， which enhanced the pace of Chinese participation in helping African countries resolve conflicts and usher in peace.

　　At the year-end， Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Zimbabwe and South Africa， and planned the future development of China-Africa cooperation with African leaders at the Second Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Johannesburg， South Africa.

　　The Johannesburg Summit， the first FOCAC summit held in Africa after the Beijing Summit in November 2006， endorsed Johannesburg Declaration of FOCAC and the FOCAC Johannesburg Action Plans (2016-18)， propelling Sino-African relations into the fast lane with its “1+5+10” framework. The one element in the framework stands for new positioning， namely， upgrading the new type of China-Africa strategic partnership into a comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership. China and Africa， which have become strategic pivots for each other， will support each other in the future in adversity. Five stands for five major pillars： political equality and mutual trust， promoting win-win economic cooperation， having mutually enriching cultural exchanges， mutual assistance in security， and solidarity and coordination in international affairs. The last element in the framework and the most arresting indicates the 10 China-Africa cooperation plans to be implemented with Chinese funding support of $60 billion. The plans cover industrialization， agricultural modernization， infrastructure， financial cooperation， green development， trade and investment facilitation， poverty reduction， public health， cultural and people-to-people exchanges， and peace and security.

　　The 10 cooperation plans are based on Agenda 2063， the blueprint of the African Union (AU) to guide Africa’s development in the coming 50 years. The plans will be guided by the principles that they will meet Africa’s needs， will have Africa’s consent， and will benefit Africa. Their aim will be to address the three bottlenecks holding back Africa’s development--inadequate infrastructure， lack of professional and skilled personnel， and funding shortage. Each plan will have Chinese financial， technical or material support and will provide a strong development impetus to future China-Africa cooperation. Under the “1+5+10” framework， China-Africa relations will enter a new development era.

　　Top 10 Major Events in China-Africa Relations in 2015

　　1. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi paid his first foreign visit of the year to Africa.

　　From January 8-16， Wang Yi visited Kenya， Sudan， Cameroon， Equatorial Guinea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Wang’s trip continued the tradition in the past 25 years of Chinese foreign ministers beginning their first overseas visit of the year with Africa. In Sudan， Wang also participated in the special consultation in support of IGAD-led South Sudan peace process， putting forward China’s initiative. This demonstrated China’s efforts to promote the peace process in South Sudan.

　　2. The Third Africa-China Young Leaders’ Forum convened.

　　The Third Africa-China Young Leaders’ Forum， cosponsored by the Communist Party of China and Tanzania’s ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi， was held in Arusha， Tanzania， from March 28-30. Hundreds of young representatives and entrepreneurs from China and 38 African countries discussed the future development of Sino-African relations. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete， President of Tanzania， Robert Mugabe， President of Zimbabwe and AU Chairperson， and Wang Jiarui， Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference， attended the opening ceremony.

　　3. The 60th anniversary of the Asian-African Conference was celebrated.

　　The 60th anniversary of the Asian-African Conference， also known as the Bandung Conference， was celebrated with a series of programs in Indonesia’s Jakarta and Bandung from April 19-24. They included a meeting of high-level officials， a ministerial meeting， a leaders’ summit， an Asian-African business summit and a carnival. The climax of the commemorations was the highly symbolic stroll taken by Asian and African leaders as a tribute to the historic Bandung Conference in Bandung on April 24， 1955. Chinese President Xi met with leaders of Egypt， Ethiopia， Ghana， Liberia and Libya， and discussed how to consolidate Asian-African solidarity and promote bi-continental cooperation.

　　4. Terrorist bomb attack in Somali capital Mogadishu caused Chinese casualties.

　　A car bomb attack on the Jazeera Palace hotel in Somali capital Mogadishu on July 26 killed a large number of people. The Chinese embassy in Somalia was located in the hotel. An embassy security guard was killed and three other staff members were injured. The Somalia-based militant group Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack. China had evacuated its embassy in Somalia in January 1991 due to the Somali civil war， reopening it after 23 years on October 12， 2014. The reopening of the embassy shows China’s support for the peace process in Somalia and the importance it attaches to China-Somalia relations.

　　5. Wang Yi visited three African nations the worst hit by the Ebola outbreak.

　　From August 8-10， Foreign Minister Wang Yi made his sixth visit to Africa since taking office. The trip to Sierra Leone， Liberia and Guinea--the three African nations the worst hit by the Ebola outbreak--made Wang the first foreign minister from outside the region to visit the three nations in West Africa’s epidemic area. Wang said the main purpose of the visit was to learn about the progress in fighting Ebola， plans and needs for economic and social reconstruction in the post-Ebola period， and to discuss strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation to help the three countries’ economic and social development.

　　6. African representatives participated in China’s V-Day parade.

　　On September 3， China held commemorative activities at Tiananmen Square in Beijing to mark the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. Presidents and government representatives from Algeria， Libya and Tunisia and leaders from Egypt， South Africa， Sudan， the Democratic Republic of the Congo， Ethiopia and other African countries attended the event. Egyptian troops took part in the military parade as well. It showed African countries’ respect for history， desire for peace， as well as recognition of China’s contribution in the World Anti-Fascist War.

　　7. Chinese enterprise constructed light rail project in Ethiopia.

　　On September 20， Ethiopia inaugurated a light rail project in Addis Ababa， the capital city， constructed by the China Railway Group and operated by the Chinese Shenzhen Metro Group. It marked the opening of the south-north line of the city’s light rail system， making Ethiopia the first African country with modern light rail transportation. The project with Chinese standards cost more than $475 million. It is China’s first light rail project in Africa encompassing the entire industrial chain. The light rain has enhanced the image of Addis Ababa and improved local people’s lives. It has become a new Chinese-constructed landmark after the AU headquarters in the city and another milestone in China-Ethiopia friendship.

　　8. The Second Ministerial Forum of China-Africa Health Development.

　　From October 4-6， the Second Ministerial Forum of China-Africa Health Development was held in Cape Town， South Africa. Its theme was Promoting the Availability of Healthcare Service in Africa， Improving China-Africa’s Cooperation in Public Health in Post-Ebola Era. There were more than 200 participants， including the health ministers of China and over 40 African countries， as well as representatives from the AU and international organizations such as the World Health Organization and UNAIDS. The meeting adopted the Cape Town Declaration and its implementation framework to promote China-Africa collaboration in public health. It developed a roadmap for China and African countries to work together to address the key health problems affecting the African continent.

　　9. Chinese executives were killed in terrorists Attacks in Mali.

　　On November 21， terrorists attacked the Radisson Blu Hotel in Bamako， Mali. Twenty-seven people were killed. Three Chinese senior executives of China Railway Construction Corp. were among the victims. The African militant group Al-Murabitoun claimed responsibility for the attack. The group， linked to al-Qaeda， is active in north Mali. China has strongly condemned the atrocity. The Chinese Government will continue to work with the international community to strengthen cooperation to protect overseas Chinese citizens and institutions and their rights and interests.

　　10. Chinese President Xi visited Zimbabwe and South Africa and attended the Johannesburg Summit of FOCAC.

　　From December 1-6， Chinese President Xi visited Zimbabwe and South Africa， and co-hosted the Johannesburg Summit of FOCAC with his South African counterpart President Jacob Zuma. It was Xi’s second visit to Africa after being sworn in as Chinese president in 2013. The Johannesburg Summit is the second summit since the inception of FOCAC 15 years ago and the first held in Africa. The gathering saw the agreement to upgrade the new type of China-Africa relationship into a comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership. China pledged to provide $60 billion to support 10 major plans for Africa’s development.

　　The author is a senior researcher at the Charhar Institute and senior research fellow at the Institute of West Asian and African Studies， Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

　　By He Wenping

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