China, Africa push implementation of FOCAC Beijing Summit outcomes

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Gen. Jeje Odongo Abubakhar, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, has delivered a statement at the Ministerial Meeting of Coordinators on the Implementation of the Follow-Up Actions of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) currently underway in Changsha City, Hunan Province, China.

He is part of the representatives of China, 53 African countries and the African Union Commission gathered in Changsha on Wednesday to advance the full implementation of the outcomes achieved at the Beijing Summit of the FOCAC.

At the opening ceremony Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his counterpart of the Republic of the Congo Jean-Claude Gakosso read out the congratulatory letters from their heads of state. The Republic of the Congo is the African co-chair of the FOCAC.

In a message read by Wang, China's President Xi Jinping announced that his government will implement the policy of granting 53 African countries having diplomatic relations with China zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines.

He added that the Beijing government will also provide more facilitation to least developed countries in Africa for their export to China.

Xi's government will also and work with Africa to further implement the 10 partnership actions. These provide important guidance for China and Africa jointly advancing modernisation and building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.

Minister Wang also put forward five proposals on promoting high-quality China-Africa cooperation.

He noted that China and Africa need to support each other and uphold the solidarity of the Global South. Wang added that  China and Africa need to open up to the world and champion international free trade.  According to the proposals, China and Africa need to pursue mutual benefit and engage in cooperation on global development.

Wang added that China and Africa need to uphold justice and defend an equitable international order.

The fifth proposal indicates that China and Africa need to carry out exchange and mutual learning and promote the diversity of civilisations in the world.

Wang said the 21st century is as much Asia's century as it is Africa's, adding that as long as the more than 2.8 billion people of China and Africa work together, they will surely achieve brilliant progress in the path to modernization.

China and Africa, as the largest developing country and the continent with the highest concentration of developing countries, are emerging as pivotal forces of the Global South, Wang said.

"Faced with an international situation marked by changes and turmoil, China and Africa should uphold solidarity and self-reliance more than ever," he said, calling on both sides to respond to uncertainties in the world with a stable and resilient China-Africa relationship.

Both sides should preserve solidarity of the Global South, champion international free trade, support global development cooperation, defend a just international order and promote civilizational diversity, he said.

The FOCAC has grown rapidly in the 25 years since its establishment, leading China-Africa relations to achieve leapfrog development and enter the best period in history. Both sides have made solid progress in the implementation of the 10 partnership actions for modernization announced at the FOCAC Beijing Summit held last September, according to Wang.

On behalf of the African countries, Gakosso said African countries thank China for supporting their development, welcome the 10 partnership actions for modernisation, and support the China-Africa Cooperation Vision 2035. He added that the African countries are willing to implement the outcomes of the Beijing Summit to help the African people realise their aspiration for a better life.

The African side opposes the act of abusing tariffs and unilateral sanctions and will stand with China to jointly deal with challenges, Gakosso said. The meeting issued China-Africa Changsha Declaration on Upholding Solidarity and Cooperation of the Global South.

Presenting Uganda’s statement, Gen. Odongo underscored some of the achievements attained by Uganda under FOCAC. He listed among them large-scale infrastructure developments like the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway and the Karuma plus Isimba Hydropower Plants.

A release from his office states that the minister also informed the meeting that FOCAC has supported highly concessional loans and grants in Agriculture and social projects, which are key drivers to Uganda’s Agro-Industrialisation and Inclusive Growth Agenda.

Odongo shared the Government of Uganda’s 10-fold growth strategy, stating that its focus is on Agro-Industrialisation development, Tourism development, Mineral-based development, Oil and Gas (Petrochemical) development and Knowledge Economy Advancement. He added that the key enablers for the achievement of the development agenda for Uganda include:  Digital Infrastructure, Development of industrial parks, ICT, Human capital development, Irrigation to stabilise agriculture and Infrastructure for Digitalising Health Information, plus construction of critical road infrastructure.

On the sidelines of the Ministerial meeting, Gen. Odongo met with Mr Chen Xiaodong, the Chair of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA). The Minister and Mr. Chen discussed the implementation of ongoing programs funded by China under her FOCAC framework and explored new areas which will be given consideration for funding by China, to help achieve the objectives of NDPIV and the 10-fold economic growth plan.

At the end of the Ministerial meeting, the two sides issued the China-Africa Changsha Declaration on Upholding Solidarity and Cooperation of the Global South, the List of Outcomes of the Implementation of the Follow-up Action of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and the Concept Paper of 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, demonstrating the joint effort of China and Africa to implement the cooperation outcomes of the FOCAC Beijing Summit, and providing new driving forces for deepening political mutual trust, advancing mutually beneficial cooperation and building closer bond between the people.