China wants to raise its relationship with Africa to a new level, President Xi Jinping declared at the conclusion of the Second Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Johannesburg.
Johannesburg Declaration Highlights
The Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation has surprised many people in many ways. While it was expected that elevation to the status of a summit rather than a ministerial meeting would lend sufficient gravitas, it is the details of the negotiations and eventual promulgations that have exceeded expectations.
Having lived in Africa for four years, I have come across various Chinese people and businesses in the continent, from large enterprises to the owners of small shops in the middle of nowhere working hard to make ends meet.
What next for China-Africa relations? As final preparations were made for the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, there was an air of anticipation in Sandton, the district of Johannesburg often dubbed Africa's richest square mile.
First Ministerial Conference, Beijing
South African academic Garth Shelton believes the Forum on China Africa Cooperation summit could be the organization's most important meeting in its 15-year history.
Aucma, one of China's largest refrigeration equipment suppliers, is planning to expand its business map to Africa. But the product it primarily want to promote is not a refrigerator, but a portable vaccines storage device called Arktek.
Emmanuel Uwechue hit the big time in China when he appeared on live television and sang a pitch-perfect rendition of a "red" song, a classic folk tune about the Communist revolution.
Tremendous changes have taken place both in China and Africa over the decades, yet the China-Africa relationship has grown stronger with the passage of time.
President Xi Jinping's visit to Zimbabwe marked a continued strengthening of political, economic and cultural relations that have already seen China become the country's biggest investor and largest export market outside Africa.
Some breakthroughs are expected to be achieved at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, which started on Dec 4 in Johannesburg, where Sino-African collaboration in agriculture is expected to be high on the agenda.
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