Jointly Building a High-level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future in the Process of Advancing Multipolarity

In today’s world， the changes unseen in a century is evolving at a faster pace and the world landscape is undergoing an era of major developments， transformation and adjustment marked by increasing instability and uncertainties. In the meantime， the historical trends of peace， development， cooperation and mutual benefit are unstoppable， representing where global opinion trends and the arc of history bends to lead humanity to a bright future. It is pointed out at the Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs convened at the end of December 2023 that the world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation， but the overall direction of human development and progress will not change， the overall dynamics of world history moving forward amid twists and turns will not change， and the overall trend toward a shared future for the international community will not change. Forming a correct perception of Africa’s development trend is a key component of comprehensively understanding and properly handling the international situation and also a necessary prerequisite for continuously deepening China-Africa relations.

Africa is Becoming an Important Pole with Global Influence

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized at the Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs in June 2018 that with the correct historical perspective， one will not only notice the current international situation， but also review the past and observe the world through the prism of historical laws， and look ahead and detect the underlying trends of historical progress. Historically， the Bandung Conference in 1955 not only championed the “Bandung Spirit” advocating anti-imperialism and anti-colonialism efforts， striving for national independence and jointly maintaining world peace， but also pushed forward the national independence movement in Africa. After over six-decade arduous exploration， the cause of Africa’s integration and modernization is embracing bright prospects. Over the past 60 years， Africa， as a continent， has gradually rooted out the legacy of colonialism and achieved leapfrog socioeconomic transformation， which laid a foundation for independent development. And African countries have steadily improved governance capabilities， significantly enhanced political autonomy and further developed awareness to protect their own rights. Africa has attempted to get rid of the colonial shackles on their culture and gradually established and consolidated the consciousness of nation-state. Under the banner of Pan-Africanism， African countries have strived forward along the modernization path featuring independence， seeking strength through solidarity and integration， demonstrating African power in the struggle to uphold multilateralism and safeguard the common interests of developing countries. The African Union (AU) is steadily advancing the Agenda 2063 and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has been officially launched， both witnessing intensified coordination among sub-regional organizations.

Africa is facing multiple difficulties and challenges， but also embracing the positive trend of development， revitalization and strength through solidarity."From a realistic point of view， Africa’s ongoing socioeconomic predicament has shown a promising trend of rebounding after hitting the bottom."According to the World Economic Outlook released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in October 2023， in sub-Saharan Africa， growth is projected to pick up to 4% in 2024. In terms of current account balance and public debt， there is also strong projection of bottoming out."According to data from the IMF， the fiscal deficit in sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 4.2% of GDP in 2023， a significant improvement from 6.5% in 2020， and is projected to further drop to 3.7% in 2024."Further analysis shows that in 2023， the debt-to-GDP ratio of middle-income African economies was higher than that of low-income economies， fully demonstrating that the highly-indebted countries are capable of seeking development supported by debts."In terms of attracting international investment， in 2022， the FDI inflow into Africa reached 45 billion US dollars. The number of greenfield projects increased by 39% to 766."Out of the world’s 15 largest greenfield investment projects， six are located in Africa， with each valued at over 10 billion US dollars."Though in the face of uncertainties， the African economy boasts rare resilience in the context of the sluggish recovery of the world economy.

The China’s Africa Policy Paper released in 2015 points out that Africa has become one of the continents with the fastest economic growth and greatest development potential. It is an important player on the stage of world politics， a new growth pole for the global economy and a center of human civilization with diverse cultures. Africa is becoming a key force pushing forward the reform of the international system and the evolution of world order. In June 2023， a delegation， consisting of leaders and senior officials from seven African countries， respectively met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin， offering a 10-point peace proposal to settle the conflicts. The efforts made by African countries to promote ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine were highly commended. Their independent mediation efforts without the engagement of the United States present Africa as an important force in the international arena and further contribute to a multi-polar world. In August 2023， South Africa hosted a high-level BRICS Summit to welcome African countries such as Egypt and Ethiopia as new members， marking a historical milestone of the BRICS cooperation mechanism. On January 1， 2024， the BRICS members officially expanded to ten， conforming to the historical trend of an unfolding multipolar world and fully demonstrating the promising future of BRICS cooperation. Among its ten member countries， three are African countries， suggesting further African weight in the BRICS. This expansion has opened a new era of “Global South” efforts to seek strength through solidarity.

In September 2023， the AU became a full member of the G20. Spokesman Ebba Kalondo said that the AU’s becoming a full member of G20 is a historical milestone which marks the international community’s recognition of Africa and demonstrates the diversity and inclusiveness of the global governance system. In November 2023， delegates from the AU and the Caribbean countries unanimously agreed at summit in Ghana to establish a Global Reparation Fund to push for apologies and overdue compensation from European countries for Africans enslaved during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The “Reparation Movement” shows that African countries stand in solidarity to make collective voices heard and strive for more rights and interests.

China-Africa Relations Continue to Achieve Significant Results in the New Era

During his first state visit to Africa in 2013， Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the principle of sincerity， real results， amity and good faith for China’s Africa policy and the principle of pursuing the greater good and shared interests， which charts the course and provides the fundamental guide for cooperation with Africa in the new era. Over the past decade， guided by these two principles， China and Africa have achieved fruitful cooperation outcomes and set a shining example of a new type of international relations.

First， political mutual trust has been enhanced. A high-level political mutual trust is a salient feature and a unique advantage of China-Africa relations. China-Africa solidarity and friendship were built in the struggle for national liberation and were uplifted in the journey of seeking common development and revitalization. In 2006， the FOCAC Beijing Summit decided to establish a new type of China-Africa strategic partnership. In 2015， the FOCAC Johannesburg Summit decided to build a China-Africa comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership. In the 2018 FOCAC Beijing Summit， the two sides agreed to build an even stronger China-Africa community with a shared future. The Eighth FOCAC Ministerial Conference in 2021 put forward an everlasting spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation， which features sincere friendship and equality， win-win for mutual benefit and common development， fairness and justice， progress with the times and openness and inclusiveness. At the bilateral level， China and Ethiopia announced elevating their ties to an all-weather strategic partnership in October 2023， opening up a new chapter in the relations between China and Ethiopia and between China and Africa in general. 2023 marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and South Africa. Over the past 25 years， the relationship has achieved leapfrog development from a partnership to a strategic partnership， then to a comprehensive strategic partnership and entered a new stage of jointly building a high-level China-South Africa community with a shared future.

Second， pragmatic cooperation is upgraded. The depth and breadth of pragmatic cooperation is a critical indicator to test bilateral relations. China-Africa pragmatic cooperation enjoys a large volume and rapid growth. In 2022， the trade volume between China and Africa reached 282 billion US dollars， a record high. From January to June 2023， the trade volume between China and Africa reached 140.9 billion US dollars， up by 3.1% year-on-year. China has been Africa’s largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years. From January to June 2023， China’s direct investment in various sectors of Africa amounted to 1.82 billion US dollars， a year-on-year increase of 4.4%. In 2022， China signed 73.2 billion US dollars of new contracts in engineering contracting in Africa， with a turnover of 37.84 billion US dollars. From January to June 2023， China signed new contracts with a total value of 28.4 billion US dollars in engineering contracting in Africa， up by 7.64% compared with the previous year.

Recent years have witnessed rapid growth of global digital economy， which opened up new opportunities for Africa to achieve leapfrog development. In view of Africa’s advantage of a large youth population and enormous potential of digital economy， China and Africa have jointly devised and acted on the “China-Africa Digital Innovation Partnership”. The program focuses on such areas as digital infrastructure， digital economy and digital education to help Africa access digital dividends. In addition， China-Africa pragmatic cooperation is becoming more strategic. China and Africa jointly formulated the China-Africa Cooperation Vision 2035， which is fully in synergy with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the AU’s Agenda 2063 as well as the development strategies of individual African countries， and charted the course and set the objectives of medium- and long-term cooperation.

Third， mutual support is firm and solid. China firmly supports to increase the representation of Africa in international institutions. It is pointed out in China’s Africa Policy Paper that China supports comprehensive reform of the UN and China maintains that priority should be given to increasing African countries’ representation and voice in the UN Security Council and other UN agencies to address the injustices Africa suffered historically. In his keynote speech at the China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue in 2023， General Secretary Xi Jinping suggested that China supports making special arrangements on the UN Security Council reform to meet Africa’s aspiration as a priority and that China will call on multilateral financial institutions to enhance African countries’ power of discourse. The China’s Africa Policy Paper also calls for strengthened dialogue between the G20 and Africa and is supportive of Africa’s participation in G20 affairs. Until 2023， with the strong support of China， the AU successfully joined the G20. The support between China and Africa is mutual. In particular， over 50 years ago， the 26th Session of the General Assembly of the UN adopted， with an overwhelming majority， Resolution 2758， and the decision was made to restore all rights of the People’s Republic of China in the UN. Among the 76 votes in favor of the resolution， 26 were cast by African countries， while 11 of the 23 sponsors of the draft resolution were from Africa. In recent years， the US and other Western countries have frequently attacked and smeared China on Taiwan question and issues related to Hong Kong， Xinjiang， Xizang and the COVID-19 pandemic. African countries， together with the majority of countries in the world， firmly support China’s legitimate position in the UN Human Rights Council， the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly and other occasions， thwarted the conspiracy of the US and some other Western countries， and effectively safeguarded international fairness and justice. Moreover， in joint efforts to uphold the multilateral trading system featuring non-discrimination， openness， inclusiveness and transparency， China and Africa worked together to push the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference to achieve outcomes beyond expectation.

China and Africa Embrace Broad Prospects for Building a High-level Community with a Shared Future

It is pointed out at the Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs convened at the end of 2023 that given the series of major issues and challenges facing the world today， China calls for an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization. These “two propositions” with practical relevance and strategic guidance will especially create more favorable conditions for building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future. Standing at the new starting point of historic importance， building a high-level community with a shared future meets the common aspiration of the Chinese and African people and is in line with the historical trend that humanity shares a future.

First， the principle of sincerity， real results， amity and good faith and the principle of pursuing the greater good and shared interests will guide the vision of a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future. In adherence to the principle of sincerity， real results， amity and good faith and standing in solidarity with African friends， China draws strength from the spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation， resolutely embarks on the path of solidarity and cooperation， and enters a new stage of building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future. Looking ahead， this principle will continue to demonstrate its advanced nature and beam with vitality.

Today’s world is on the trajectory to become a multipolar world. China rejects hegemonism and power politics， opposes the monopoly of only a few countries in international affairs， and denies the traditional narrative that always relates multipolarity to only a few major countries. Rather， China advocates equality in a multipolar world. China insists that all countries， regardless of size， should be treated as equals and that every country or group of countries， especially the vast number of African countries， should have its position in the global governance system. China-Africa cooperation will forge ahead on the path guided by the spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation and build a ever more solid foundation for pragmatic cooperation between the two sides.

Second， as the largest developing country in the world， China is Africa’s companion in its modernization drive. The joint efforts of China and Africa to advance the Belt and Road Initiative have reaped plenty of fruits in such various sectors as industrial and agricultural modernization. China is currently striving towards its the second centenary goal and advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization. Africa is also forging ahead towards the Agenda 2063 and accelerating economic integration and modernization. Though China and Africa follow different paths to modernization， they share similar objectives and missions and gradually adopt like-minded visions. The Chinese modernization， which is based on China’s local conditions and inclusively draws on others’ merits， is different from Western modernization. As the Chinese modernization achieves success， many African countries begin to “l(fā)ook to the East” and strengthen exchanges and mutual learning.

China is more an activist than an advocate in supporting Africa’s development and revitalization. At the China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue in August 2023， China launched the Initiative on Supporting Africa’s Industrialization， pledging that China will better harness its resources for cooperation with Africa and the initiative of businesses to support Africa in growing its manufacturing sector and realizing industrialization and economic diversification. China is also committed to implementing the Plan for China Supporting Africa’s Agricultural Modernization. To this end， China will help Africa expand grain plantation， encourage Chinese companies to increase agricultural investment in Africa， and enhance cooperation with Africa on seed and other areas of agro-technology， to support Africa in transforming and upgrading its agricultural sector. China also announced the Plan for China-Africa Cooperation on Talent Development， planing to train 500 principals and high-caliber teachers of vocational colleges every year， and train 10，000 technical personnel with both Chinese language and vocational skills for Africa through training programs.

Third， China and Africa share broad and profound common strategic interests. As the largest developing country and a major country as well as the largest economy in the “Global South”， China always stands with the vast developing world and firmly supports increasing the representation and say of developing countries in the global governance system. Africa， as a key part of the “Global South”， is suffering the worst historical injustice in the existing international order and bear the strongest aspiration to create a just and equitable international order. China and Africa are natural partners in the process of jointly promoting a just and equitable international order.

Working together to promote a just and equitable international order is what we must do to build a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future. Under the current circumstances， firmly safeguarding world peace and stability means protecting the fundamental interests of all countries， especially developing countries. Africa is making unremitting efforts towards the goal of “silence the guns”. Jointly working for common， comprehensive， cooperative and sustainable security， China and Africa advocate to bridge differences through dialogue and resolve disputes through cooperation， promote political solutions to international and regional hotspot issues and safeguard a peaceful and secure global environment.

China advocates a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization. China supports the legitimate interests and concerns of the vast number of African countries and pays attention to the solutions to structural challenges that impede the healthy development of the world economy， especially the African economy. As an emerging market economy， China has repeatedly suffered from containment and suppression imposed by hegemonic powers. It is in the common interest of China and Africa to build a more open and inclusive world economy and promote economic globalization towards inclusiveness. China and Africa both hold that economic globalization should deliver universal benefits， which addresses the common concerns and demands of all countries in the world， especially developing countries， solves the imbalance of development between and within countries as a result of global allocation of resources， ensures adequate and balanced development， and promotes the globalization conducive to accelerating the development of all countries in the world， especially developing countries. China and Africa both hold that economic globalization should be inclusive， which enables countries to take a development path based on their national realities and also promotes the common development of humanity. To champion universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization， it is necessary to oppose all forms of unilateralism and protectionism and reject discriminatory and exclusive standards and norms. It is also imperative to promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation， keep the global industrial chains and supply chains stable and urge all parties to understand and accommodate each other’s interests and concerns.

In view of addressing the development deficit， solving the security challenges， transcending cultural estrangement and other questions of the times facing China， Africa and all the countries in the world， China has put forward the Global Development Initiative， the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative， advocating peace， development and cooperation for shared benefits and promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind， which have gained broad support from African countries. China is willing to be a firm supporter and walk side by side with Africa on its path to modernization. In the context of jointly building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future， China will join hands with African countries to address various global challenges and move the reform of global governance system towards the right direction.

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Yu Jiang is Vice President and Researcher， China Institute of International Studies