Groundwork laid for FOCAC Summit

In less than 10 days, South Africa will host the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit, the first to be held in Africa, to further boost China-Africa cooperation.

The ground work has been laid to ensure that the summit be a successful event, said Yu-Hsuan Wu, a senior researcher in foreign policy at the South African Institute of International Affairs.

African countries expect the summit, due to be held in Johannesburg on Dec. 4-5, to be successful with fruitful outcomes, Wu told Xinhua.

The consultations prior to the event promise a successful event. "An indication that South Africa places importance to the summit was reflected by the notable number of high-level visits to China," she said.

SA Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa and President Jacob Zuma have both made trips to China earlier this year; while China's State Councillor, Yang Jiechi visited South Africa in October.

As co-chair, South Africa needs to work closely with China to ensure the summit's success, which South Africa has been doing, she said.

South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Maite Nkoana-Mashabane has also said they made consultations with African countries to ensure that their inputs are included in the agenda of the summit.

"African stakeholders would be interested in partnering with China to address their countries' regional and continental challenges such as industrialization and intra-regional trade and transport infrastructure," she noted.

Wu said China is an important partner in helping achieve Africa's development aspirations.

China has emphasized its role in six major projects, which include industrial cooperation, financial cooperation, poverty reduction, cultural exchanges, peace and security.

To ensure that Africa benefits from these projects, it is important for the African side to put forward proposals based on its own development objectives, Wu suggested.

She added the FOCAC scope is likely to be broadened following the summit.

"An analysis of relations under the FOCAC framework reveals that relations have indeed evolved over time. Instead of a highly political and economic focus, there is an increasing incorporation of other issues beyond such themes, such as people-to-people exchanges and the health cooperation," she said.

The extent and impact of such cooperation could be further assessed over time, in order to understand how relations can be further improved, according to her.

She said the summit has also the potential to foster the African unity and common goals as well as Pan-Africanist agenda.

Some of the issues likely to be put forward by Africans at the summit are the African Agenda 2063, poverty eradication, electricity and water shortages and income disparities, according to Wu.

The expert also said the FOCAC should be synergized with other initiatives for enhanced benefits by Africans.

"It would be useful to understand the role of FOCAC and its relationship with other China-driven initiatives such as the One Belt, One Road, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the BRICS New Development Bank," Wu said. Endit