The 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (the Beijing Summit of FOCAC) was held in Beijing from September 4 to 6. After six years time, leaders from China and African countries gathered in Beijing for the fourth Summit of the Forum to deepen friendship and cooperation and chart the course for the future. The Summit was a “Global South Moment” with a strong message of our era in pursuit of common development, highlighting the concerted efforts to building a community with a shared future for mankind.
The Summit is quite unprecedented. It is the largest diplomatic event China has hosted in recent years, reaching record attendance of foreign leaders, with presence of leaders from all 53 African countries with diplomatic ties with China and chairperson of the African Union Commission, as well as attendance by the United Nations Secretary-General and representatives from more than 30 other international and African regional organizations. President Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony of the Summit and delivered a keynote speech, and held bilateral meetings with all the attending heads of state or government for in-depth exchanges on major strategic issues. Under the theme of “Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future,” the two sides reached a clear political consensus on strengthening cooperation across the board, with two important documents, the Beijing Declaration and the Action Plan adopted unanimously. The Summit held four high-level meetings on the topics of state governance, industrialization and agricultural modernization, peace and security, high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, as well as the eighth Conference of Chinese and African Entrepreneurs and other related activities.
The Summit is especially fruitful. Leaders from China and African countries agreed to elevate the characterization of the overall China-Africa relations to an all-weather community with a shared future for the new era. President Xi Jinping articulated a six-point proposition on China-Africa joint efforts to advance modernization, that China and Africa should advance modernization that is just and equitable, that is open and win-win, that puts the people first, that features diversity and inclusiveness, that is eco-friendly, and that is underpinned by peace and security.
This proposition was widely accepted by African leaders, and has become a political consensus between China and Africa. President Xi Jinping announced ten partnership actions that China would take with Africa to advance modernization in the next three years, covering the areas of mutual learning among civilizations, trade prosperity, industrial chain cooperation, connectivity, development cooperation, health, agriculture and livelihoods, people-to-people exchanges, green development, and common security.
China also presented a number of concrete measures during the Summit, including inviting 1,000 African political party personages to China for exchanges, granting duty-free treatment to 100% of the tariff lines of products from least developed countries (LDCs) with diplomatic ties with China, helping deliver 1,000 “small and beautiful” projects to improve people’s livelihood, encouraging Chinese businesses in Africa to create no less than 1 million local jobs. These will no doubt inject new impetus to China-Africa cooperation, further assisting the economic and social development of Africa.
The Summit is truly meaningful. It demonstrates the firm resolve of over 2.8 billion Chinese and African people to stick together through thick and thin and march forward hand in hand amid once-in-a-century transformation of the world, enhancing steadfast commitment of the Global South to unite for strength. President Xi Jinping’s incisive remarks on China and Africa jointly advancing modernization gave insightful answer to the common challenges faced by the Global South in terms of method and target of modernization, which will no doubt have a significant and far-reaching impact on spearheading the “Global South” for faster modernization and advancing global modernization. During the Summit, the two sides agreed to firmly support each other on issues concerning their respective core interests, follow true multilateralism, implement the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, and champion an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization. The two sides agreed to reject “small yard, high fence,” oppose discrimination and prejudice, redress historical injustices, and ensure that all will benefit from the modernization process.
This is significant to the Global South in terms of enhancing discourse power and representation in global governance, with a view to making global governance more just and equitable.
China and Cambodia are good neighbors and ironclad friends pioneering the building of a community with a shared future while also sharing the common goal of modernization. President Xi Jinping and leaders of Cambodia together ushered in the new era of building a high-quality, high-level and high-standard China-Cambodia Community with a Shared Future. Currently, China is resolutely forging ahead on its path to a great modern socialist country in all respects by mid-century, and advancing on all fronts the noble cause of building a great country and national rejuvenation via Chinese path to modernization. Meanwhile, Cambodia is making full efforts to realize the vision of upper-middle-income country by 2030 and high-income economy by 2050. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and the first year implementing the new action plan for building a China-Cambodia Community with a Shared Future. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee held this July laid out systematic plans for comprehensively deepening reform to advance Chinese modernization, which will profoundly further transform China, while also providing new opportunities and driving forces for Cambodia and the joint building of the China-Cambodia Community with a Shared Future and pursuit of modernization.
As the Khmer saying goes, “It is impossible to break a bundle of sugar canes”. China believes that on the path to modernization, no country should be left behind. We stand ready to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with Cambodia and other developing countries to advance together on the path of modernization. We will make greater contribution to people’s well-being around world and the safeguarding of world peace and stability, ushering in a new chapter of building a community with a shared future for mankind.
