From 4 to 6 September, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) will take place in Beijing, the first major post-Covid event to be held in the capital. More and more Chinese companies have developed partnerships and are collaborating with governments and companies on the continent. This is a response to the protectionist policies of Brussels and Washington, but Africa is also at risk of facing “dumping”.
Beijing () – At a time when imports of “green” products made in China are being cut in the West, in Europe and in the United States – where the market is so saturated that Washington and Brussels are deploying protectionist policies – Beijing is increasingly looking towards Africa. This is the perspective of a major event that will take place from 4 to 6 September and will feature the intervention of President Xi Jinping and several heads of state and government from that continent. Under the motto “Joining hands to promote modernization”, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) – held every three years – is the first major meeting between Africa and the dragon after the Covid-19 pandemic on critical issues related to the economy. In a context of growing geopolitical rivalry and a review of plans related to the Belt and Road Initiative, a new “Silk Road” with “green” characteristics is being proposed, resized with respect to the initial megaprojects according to the motto “small is beautiful”.
The “green” silk road
Introducing the event, Lin Jian, spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that it would “open up new prospects for China-Africa relations.” One of these areas, explained Chinese ambassador to South Africa Wu Peng, is “supporting green development.” The increasingly close partnership between the two realities in the field of renewable energy has driven development on the African continent, and therefore a more sustainable future, showing that “South-South” collaboration can better respond to global challenges. Africa, one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change, faces an urgent need to move to a green, low-carbon economy. In addition, the continent’s dependence on agriculture, which is highly susceptible to climatic fluctuations, increases its vulnerability.
With its vast experience and resources, China seems an ideal partner for the continent’s green transition and development. As a leader in innovation, production and export of renewable energy products, Beijing is helping to provide clean, reliable and affordable energy to the regions that need it most. If Africa can exploit its natural resources and China can share its technological capabilities, collaboration is more than beneficial for both, and essential for a sustainable future.
In recent years, as part of FOCAC and the Belt and Road Initiative, more and more Chinese companies have established partnerships and collaborated with African governments and companies to develop renewable energy projects, including hydropower, wind, solar and geothermal. In northeastern Kenya, a country where 87% of electricity comes from renewable sources, there is the Garissa Solar Power Plant, which produces half of the total solar energy. After the Chinese-built plant went into operation, solar energy production in Kenya increased from 7.44 million kilowatt hours (kWh) per month in 2021 to an average of 30 million kWh per month in 2023. The Nyabarongo II hydropower plant, located on the main course of the Nyabarongo River at the confluence of Rwanda’s northern and southern provinces, is also under construction and should be completed in 2027.
Beijing leaders have put forward four goals, which will be endorsed by President Xi Jinping in his speech at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. First, building a China-Africa community with a shared future that should advance to a “higher level”; second, strengthening “mutually beneficial cooperation” between the two realities; the third point concerns “strategic coordination”; and finally, people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and Africa should continue to expand to cover new areas.
The shadow of dumping
The meeting in Beijing in early September marks a new chapter in China-Africa relations, following the summit in the capital in 2006, the one in Johannesburg in 2015 and the FOCAC forum also held in Beijing in 2018. It is also the largest diplomatic event in recent years in China, with the largest number of foreign leaders taking part, including as a “special guest” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
While many African countries – some of which are facing energy crises – are happy to open their doors to Beijing and its contribution to a transition to renewable energy, there are undoubtedly some problematic aspects. Paul Nantulya, a research associate at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies in Washington, explains that China is also determined to reap huge benefits from opening up new markets and acquiring new buyers of “green” and electric products. According to data from the International Energy Agency, Beijing is the world’s largest producer of solar batteries and in 2023 accounted for three-quarters of global investment in the production of green technologies. It also produced more than half of the electric vehicles sold worldwide last year.
Its leadership in these sectors has led to growing competition with the West. That is why the United States and the European Union have decided to adopt protectionist policies by increasing tariffs on products from China. Electric vehicles, batteries, solar panels and essential minerals are in their sights, with the aim of increasing their own production and creating new jobs in their respective countries. “We see that Chinese products are increasingly subject to restrictions in the United States and Europe, and I think China will look for alternative markets in Africa,” he told Voice of America (VOA) Cliff Mboya, an analyst at the China Global South Project based in Pretoria.
The West is concerned about possible dumping – exporting goods at prices far below those charged on the domestic or other market, or below cost – by China, which is flooding foreign markets to get rid of its global trade surplus. According to Mboya, there is a similar risk in the short term for African governments and countries. “We will also have to be able to negotiate and ensure – he says – that there is no dumping of these products on the continent, because we need to create jobs for our youth and also protect the production of some essential goods.” Finally, analysts and experts predict that, in addition to green technology, the China-Africa Cooperation Forum will also focus on areas such as agricultural modernisation and trade, information technology and connectivity, education and vocational training.
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