On Tuesday, China promised African countries assistance in overcoming the impacts of COVID-19 and addressing the effects of global warming, asserting that it would not "impose its will" on Africa, which in turn would refrain from interfering in Chinese internal affairs. China and 53 African countries, whose representatives met at the China-Africa Cooperation Forum near Dakar, Senegal, called in the concluding statement for "developed countries to show greater ambition" in combating climate change and to enhance support for African nations on this issue, two weeks after the COP26 climate conference.
The statement noted that China and Africa "have the right to development," highlighting widespread concern in Africa about sacrificing development in the name of fighting global warming. Three years after the last session of the forum held in Beijing, the current forum demonstrated strong expectations from African countries toward their primary trading partner regarding support for development, financial assistance, investment, debt relief, and health responses.
While African leaders expressed hope that China would continue its major projects, they also voiced a desire for more balanced trade and a mutually beneficial relationship for African countries. The final statement indicated that in the spirit of "win-win cooperation," African and Chinese officials would work to enhance collaboration in areas such as "public health, investment, trade, manufacturing, infrastructure, agriculture, food security, climate change, and peace and security."
China faces accusations of exploiting the loans it provides to African countries, especially for financing major infrastructure projects like airports and railway lines, to increase its influence in struggling states unable to repay debts. It is also criticized for the trade imbalance with the continent and other social and environmental practices.
The final statement emphasized that "China refrains from interfering in the efforts of African countries to establish a development path suitable for their national conditions, from meddling in their internal affairs, and from imposing its will on Africa." It called for "resolving African issues (by finding) African solutions."
Amidst the diplomatic tension between Beijing and Washington, with the U.S. Secretary of State having recently toured Africa, the continent's nations reiterated their "commitment to the One China principle," which asserts that Taiwan and mainland China are part of one China. They added in the final statement that "issues relating to Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Tibet are internal matters of China."
The text opposes the "politicization" of human rights and stands "against the politicization of sports activities," following U.S. President Joe Biden's consideration of a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing scheduled for February 2022, which annoyed China.
For his part, Chinese President Xi Jinping, who participated in the forum remotely, pledged on Monday to provide Africa with a billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the form of donations and support for local production to bridge the "vaccine gap" facing the continent.
The Chinese president announced dozens of projects for the continent in areas including health, digital and security sectors, in addition to debt cancellation and allocating ten billion dollars from China's Special Drawing Rights at the IMF for African countries. In the forum's final statement, Beijing supported several African leaders' calls to lift intellectual property rights on COVID-19 vaccines to make their manufacturing accessible to all countries, and urged the United Nations to rectify "historical grievances" related to African representation in the Security Council, as well as support for debt relief for African nations.
