China is set to use this week’s summit with African leaders in Beijing to promote its green technology exports, including electric vehicles and solar panels, as it faces growing restrictions from Western countries. In return, China plans to offer additional loans and investment pledges to the participating nations. However, African leaders are expected to seek clarity on China’s previous commitments and the future of incomplete infrastructure projects funded by China.
The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit, a triennial event, will see delegates from 50 African countries—excluding Eswatini, which lacks diplomatic ties with Beijing—engage with Chinese officials. African leaders will likely focus on how China intends to fulfill its unachieved 2021 pledge to purchase $300 billion worth of African goods. Additionally, they are expected to demand updates on delayed Chinese-funded infrastructure projects, such as a railway aimed at connecting East Africa.
China, the continent’s largest lender, investor, and trade partner, is shifting its approach from funding large-scale projects to promoting advanced technologies. These include green initiatives like solar farms and electric vehicle production, sectors where China has overcapacity due to significant investment. Data from Boston University’s Global Development Policy Centre shows that in the past year, China allocated approximately $4.2 billion in loans to African nations, with about $500 million specifically earmarked for hydropower and solar projects.
President Xi Jinping, who will open the summit, is expected to focus on aligning African nations with China’s green energy ambitions. However, experts such as Eric Olander, co-founder of the China-Global South Project, believe that this will require African nations to understand and adapt to China’s evolving priorities. Hannah Ryder, founder of the consultancy Development Reimagined, questioned whether African leaders could negotiate a more balanced outcome that favors Africa’s interests.
The summit also highlights broader geopolitical dynamics, with China’s global rivals—such as the United States, Britain, and Russia—hosting their own African summits to strengthen ties with the continent. Despite this competition, China’s role as a primary financial and trade partner remains significant, as noted by Ryder.
China’s efforts to strengthen its ties with Africa come amid cautious financial strategies. According to Lina Benabdallah of Harvard University’s Centre for African Studies, China may prioritize technology transfers over committing to new large-scale projects, given recent debt restructuring efforts in nations like Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Zambia. Security concerns, such as the recent death of six Nigerien soldiers protecting a PetroChina-backed pipeline and ongoing protests in Kenya, could also influence China’s lending decisions.
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