As we approach the ninth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), it’s time for African nations to reimagine their engagement with China. This upcoming summit is a watershed moment, as this will be the first FOCAC meeting since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the well-established patterns of exchange between our continents.
The pandemic’s impact on China-Africa relations has been profound. We’ve witnessed a freeze in the “conveyor belt” of people and goods between the two regions. The last FOCAC saw a notable dip in infrastructure financing and a shift from state-led initiatives to private-sector engagement.
