China is enjoying its \u201cbest in history\u201d ties with African nations, leader Xi Jinping said on Thursday, as he pledged $50 billion in financial support for the continent, in addition to military aid. <\/p>\n
China and Africa should rally their populations together to become a \u201cpowerful force\u201d and write a \u201cnew chapter in peace, prosperity and progress,\u201d Xi said in a sweeping speech to delegations from more than 50 African nations as he sought to bolster relationships seen as key to Beijing\u2019s position as a rising global power. <\/p>\n
\u201cChina-Africa relations are at their best in history. Looking to the future, I propose that China\u2019s bilateral relations with all African countries, with which it has diplomatic ties, be elevated to the level of strategic relations,\u201d the Chinese leader said while flanked by African dignitaries seated on stage in the cavernous Great Hall of the People in Beijing. <\/p>\n
Xi also separately pledged another $280 million in aid to African countries, split evenly between military and food assistance. <\/p>\n
The pledge of $140 million in military aid is the largest amount that China has earmarked for this purpose at the three-yearly Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. In 2018, China said it would provide $100 million to support the African Standby Force and African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crisis. <\/p>\n
The freshly promised military aid signals the increasing importance of security in the relationship between Beijing and its partners in Africa. <\/p>\n
Leaders including South Africa\u2019s Cyril Ramaphosa, Kenya\u2019s William Ruto and Nigeria\u2019s Bola Tinubu have assembled in the Chinese capital this week for the three-day forum that Beijing has hailed as its largest diplomatic gathering in years. <\/p>\n
This year\u2019s event comes amid questions about the direction of those relations as Beijing, long the driving foreign economic power in Africa, has been recalibrating its extensive economic ties to the continent, while other major powers are ramping up their own efforts to engage Africa. <\/p>\n
China has been pulling back on big-ticket spending under Xi\u2019s signature Belt and Road Initiative. That infrastructure drive saw it fund projects like railways, roads and power plants and expand its influence on the continent. However, it also faced criticism that unsustainable lending contributed to heavy international debt loads now shouldered by many African countries. <\/p>\n
Xi did not mention these debt challenges in his address but did make broad pledges for China to deepen cooperation with Africa in industry, agriculture, infrastructure, trade and investment. <\/p>\n
Xi\u2019s pledge of $50 billion to the continent over the next three years \u2014 a mix of credit funds, assistance and private investment from Chinese firms \u2014 outstrips a previous pledge made three years ago of around $30 billion during a prior iteration of the forum in Dakar, Senegal. <\/p>\n
While lower than the $60 billion pledged in 2015 and 2018 respectively, it appears to be aimed at sending a strong signal to visiting leaders about China\u2019s commitment to the continent. <\/p>\n
In his 10-minute speech, Xi outlined 10 action areas for cooperation over the coming three years, including infrastructure connectivity, trade, security and green development \u2013 an area where Beijing is widely seen as pushing to enhance its exports of green technology. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s unclear how Xi\u2019s pledges would align in practice with the expectations from visiting African leaders, analysts say. Fulfillment of past pledges has also been difficult to track, they say. <\/p>\n
Leaders in Beijing are seeking investment, trade, and support to industrialize and create jobs. That includes a push for China to import more processed goods from Africa, rather than simply exporting and processing raw materials \u2013 like Africa\u2019s highly sought after critical minerals. <\/p>\n
Following Xi\u2019s speech, African leaders also gave remarks, with South Africa\u2019s Ramaphosa praising China\u2019s \u201csolidarity\u201d with the continent. He pointed to global challenges including conflict, climate change and a \u201cglobal contestation for critical minerals\u201d that is fueling geopolitical rivalry. <\/p>\n
\u201cThese challenges affect all nations but are more often severely felt on the African continent, yet amid these challenges there is hope and opportunity,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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