As FOCAC is widely accepted by African countries and the international community, the “China the Pioneer Theory” in the field of transcontinental cooperation with Africa has also become a consensus.
 

 

The sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) concluded on Aug. 27 in Kenya. Though it was a meeting between Japan and Africa, it has  reflected China’s pioneering role in transcontinental cooperation with Africa, manifesting the strong exemplary role and influence of China-Africa relations.

Although TICAD was launched in 1993 and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) was established in 2000, the latter has been developing so fast that it has acted as a catalyst in the development of cooperation with Africa. As FOCAC is widely accepted by African countries and the international community, the “China the Pioneer Theory” in the field of transcontinental cooperation with Africa has also become a consensus. 
 

A case in point for the theory is that TICAD has started to learn from FOCAC: the fifth TICAD in 2013 decided to change the quinquennial mechanism into a triennial one that entitles African countries-rather than Japan alone-to host it by turns. 

In a discussion with the US-based Brookings Institution I joined four years ago, American scholars admitted the fact that China has maintained the lead in the trade sphere every year since becoming the largest partner of Africa in 2009.
 

During a symposium between Brookings and the Institute of West-Asian and African Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Johnnie Carson, US assistant secretary of state for African affairs, expressed the hope that the United States and China can cooperate to promote peace and development in Africa, especially in South and North Sudan.
 

Thereafter, European countries also proposed collaborating with China in Africa and engaging in trilateral or multilateral cooperation. For instance, former Prime Minister of Italy Romano Prodi initiated an international conference on China-Africa-Europe cooperation as well as peace and security maintenance in Africa, which was held in June 2013 in Beijing.
 

It can thus be seen that major countries in the world have clearly recognized China’s crucial role in African peace and development.
 

Before FOCAC was brought into being, major Western countries had instituted similar summits.

 

 
The United Kingdom uses the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to strengthen its bond with Africa. The highest mechanism for meeting and consultation between Commonwealth members, the CHOGM has taken place in its member countries since 1966, before which it was held in London every other year.
 

In 1973, France proposed regular meetings with Francophone African countries to maintain and strengthen bilateral political, economic and cultural relations. The first Franco-African Summit was held in Paris that year. Convened in France and African countries in turn biennially ever since, the summit has become a forum for France and all African countries.
 

The United States seeks to reinforce its relations with Africa through different scales of unscheduled summits and conferences with African nations. In August 2014, Washington, D.C., hosted the first US-Africa Leaders Summit.

India also launched the triennial India-Africa Forum Summit in 2008.
 

The summits dominated by the United States, India and Japan are all vying with China for influence in Africa, which again indicates China’s significant clout in the peace and development of Africa.

FOCAC stands out from its counterparts as the vanguard mainly because China has properly understood Africa, highly valued its relationship with the continent and presented sincere Africa policies as well as righteous outlook on interests.
 

“No matter how the global situation changes, China and Africa are steadfastly committed to unity and mutually beneficial cooperation, and China is steadfastly supportive of Africa’s peace and development,” said Chinese President Xi Jinping in a letter to the Coordinators’ Meeting on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the FOCAC Johannesburg Summit on July 29.
What Xi said is resolute and decisive, making clear to the world that China’s sincerity towards Africa is real and the nation has spearheaded and will continue to spearhead transcontinental cooperation with Africa.

 

This article was translated from the People’s Daily Overseas Edition. Li Xinfeng is an expert on African studies and deputy editor-in-chief of the Social Sciences in China Press.