Panel highlights FOCAC agenda ahead of Beijing summit

Ahead of the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), scheduled to take place in the Chinese capital from September 3-4, a press conference on the High-Level Dialogue between Chinese-African Leaders and Business Communities and the 6th Conference of Chinese and African Entrepreneurs—part of the event roster—was organized.

On the panel were Chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) Jiang Zengwei, Vice Chairman of the CCPIT Chen Zhou, and Director-General of the Department of International Relations of the CCPIT Li Qingshuang. The agenda for FOCAC 2018 was elaborated on, and the panelists also discussed the future roadmap for Sino-African friendship and mutual development.

China and Africa’s economies are complementary, and there is great potential for the two to achieve deeper cooperation in the areas of business and industrialization, said Jiang.

“Industrialization is key for African nations to reduce poverty, create jobs and move further on the path of sustainable development,” he said. “China encourages its enterprises to invest in Africa so that they can help African countries upgrade their industries and bolster internal growth.” This in turn enables Chinese enterprises to lower their production costs.

With the theme of "China and Africa: Toward an Even Stronger Community with a Shared Future through Win-win Cooperation,” the summit brings together China and the 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic relations, plus the African Union.

Among the major events on the roster is Chinese President Xi Jinping’s keynote speech at the opening ceremony. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is also expected to give a speech at the ceremony, attended by heads of African nations, as well as Chinese and African business leaders. Xi and Ramaphosa will also chair a roundtable discussion on the second day, joined by Chinese and African leaders, on topics of both regional and international importance.

The lineup also includes sub-forums and side-events focusing on Sino-African development, business and friendship, high-level dialogue between the two sides’ leaders and business representatives, the sixth China-Africa entrepreneurs’ conference, and other bilateral talks. 

This is the third year that the FOCAC summit has convened, following the inaugural 2006 summit in Beijing and the 2015 summit in Johannesburg.