Xi's Keynote Speech and FOCAC Beijing Action Plan (2025-2027)
Xi's Keynote Speech and FOCAC Beijing Action Plan (2025-2027)
Security, Finance and Debt Sustainability
Chinese President Xi participated in the opening ceremony of the FOCAC and addressed his keynote speech. Here are some of the key points:
Source： https://www.gov.cn/yaowen/liebiao/202409/content_6972495.htm
Civilization Exchange:
Establish 25 China-Africa Research Centers
Invite 1,000 African political party members to China
Trade Prosperity:
Grant zero-tariff treatment to 100% of taxable items from 33 African least developed countries
Industrial Chain Cooperation:
Build 20 digital demonstration projects
Connectivity:
Implement 30 infrastructure connectivity projects
Development Cooperation:
Implement 1,000 “small but beautiful” livelihood projects
Support the 2026 Youth Olympic Games and 2027 African Cup of Nations
Health:
Send 2,000 medical team members to Africa
Implement 20 medical health and anti-malaria projects
Agricultural Development:
Provide 1 billion yuan in emergency food aid
Build 100,000 mu (about 6,667 hectares) of agricultural demonstration zones
Send 500 agricultural experts
Implement 500 public welfare projects
Aim to create at least 1 million jobs in Africa
People-to-People Exchange:
Build 10 “Luban Workshops”
Provide 60,000 training opportunities
Designate 2026 as the "China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchange"
Green Development:
Implement 30 clean energy projects
Build 30 joint laboratories
Security Building:
Provide 1 billion yuan in military aid
Train 6,000 military talents and 1,000 law enforcement officers
Invite 500 young military officers to visit China
In the next 3 years, the Chinese government is willing to provide financial support with a total value of 360 billion yuan, including:
210 billion yuan in credit funds
80 billion yuan in various forms of aid
Encouraging Chinese enterprises to invest no less than 70 billion yuan in Africa
Besides the keynote speech, the Chinese MoFA also published the document called “Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Beijing Action Plan (2025-2027)” as the guiding plan for cooperation.
It was so long, so I’ll just post the link to the English version of the action plan: https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/xw/zyxw/202409/t20240905_11485719.html
Here are some of my takes:
Counterterrorism:
3.4.2.2 The two sides will continue to enhance cooperation in peacekeeping and counterterrorism within the U.N. framework, strengthen exchanges of peacekeeping policies and skills, and conduct joint exercises and on-site training between Chinese and African peacekeeping troops and cooperation on small arms, light weapons control and homemade explosives. In this regard, African countries, particularly those located in the Horn of Africa, Cabo Delgado and the Sahel, lastingly affected by the scourge of terrorism, will be further supported in strengthening their capacities in the fight against terrorism.
Compared with the previous action plan, which is the "Forum on China-Africa Cooperation - Dakar Action Plan (2022-2024)," It pointed out special regions such as the Sahel and Horn of Africa. That might be due to the severe counter-terrorism situation in recent years.
3.4.2.4 The two sides will continue to step up intelligence sharing and action coordination on combating international terrorist organizations, and to support African countries’ efforts of improving counterterrorism capacity. China and Africa will continue to work together to safeguard the security of shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Guinea, Indian Ocean and Somali waters. The African side appreciates China's initiatives relating to its advocacy in favor of Africa in the fight against terrorism at the level of international bodies.
I see it’s the first time specifically emphasizing the shipping line security in the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Guinea, the Indian Ocean, and Somali waters. Highlighting the fragility of the current global supply chain under uncertainty brought by conflict.
Finance and debt sustainability:
The two sides believe that financing cooperation provides a strong impetus for high-quality cooperation between China and Africa. Africa thanks China for putting forward the nine programs at the eighth FOCAC Ministerial Conference in Dakar in 2021 and, within this framework, providing US$10 billion in credit facilities and US$10 billion in trade finance to Africa, encouraging Chinese businesses to invest an additional US$10 billion in Africa, and channeling US$10 billion in Special Drawing Rights to African countries. Africa appreciates China’s positive contribution to helping African countries address debt issues through multilateral and bilateral channels, and urges other bilateral official creditors, commercial creditors and multilateral creditors to participate in the handling and restructuring of African countries’ debts under the principle of joint actions and fair burden-sharing. China and Africa also congratulate the African Development Bank and the People’s Bank Of China on the successful deployment and results of the 1st US$2 billion phase of the Africa Growing Together Fund. China looks forward to contributing to an ambitious 17th replenishment of the African Development Fund (ADF).
Personally, I really don’t want to talk about debt issue over and over again; I’d recommend my readers to check the IMF’s report publied in 2023, named “At a Crossroads: Sub-Saharan Africa’s Economic Relations with China“
That’s what it said
“However, China’s share in sub-Saharan Africa’s overall sovereign debt is still relatively small, at only about 6 percent of the total…
It is noteworthy that the debt owed to China has not been the principal contributor to the region’s public debt surge in the past 15 years. About half the region’s public debt is now domestic commercial borrowing with higher interest rates and shorter maturity.”
Food Security:
6.3.3 The two sides will strengthen cooperation across the industrial chain of grain crops and the breeding of sesame and other oilseeds, and will promote fine breeds of high-producing layers and white-feathered broiler in Africa, to promote food self-sufficiency in Africa. China and Africa will also cooperate to use technologies to support the production of traditional grains that play an important role in ensuring food security in many countries.
Dakar's previous action plan primarily emphasized agricultural planning, with a focus on innovations like hybrid rice. However, this latest version delves deeper into animal husbandry, particularly in the realm of breeding.
It is interesting to see breeding in the second paragraph of the food security sector. Smart choice of Chicken to provide high-quality protein in large quantities. It’s probably the cheapest protein for human beings and is easy to feed chicken.