FOCAC Twelve Years Later : Achievements, Challenges and the Way Forward

Abstract

Twelve years have passed since the establishment of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), an event that marked an important milestone in China-Africa relations. The forum is a platform to promote mutually beneficial South-South cooperation between China and Africa, based on mutual respect and non-interference in the internal affairs of African countries. In its ten year existence, FOCAC has achieved in deepening China-Africa relations in the economic field. Trade, investment, infrastructure and capacity building have been comprehensively promoted. But as FOCAC prepares to enter the second decade, a number of steps must be taken by Chinese and African partners to improve the current institutional arrangement by expanding space for private sector and civil society participation in decision-making and by increasing the frequency of follow-up processes to ensure effective implementation of agreed upon targets.

<p>CONTENTS: Preface -- Introduction -- 1. China-Africa relations: historical overview -- 2. Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) -- 3. FOCAC members and their functions -- 4. FOCAC operating mechanisms -- 5. Evaluation of FOCAC -- 6. Sustainability and FOCAC: directions for improvement -- Annex</p>