Eighteen years after the first ground-breaking Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC, 2000), launched to officialise and institutionalize China’s relations with Africa, Beijing hosted – on 2-4 September 2018 - 50+ African heads of state/government and international actors during the 7th event of the series. Throughout these past 18 years, the global status and role of China and individual African countries changed dramatically.
China supports African integration, and not merely in rhetorical terms. Perhaps nothing symbolizes this support more than the impressive 800 million RMB Headquarters and Conference Centre China built and fitted for the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The complex, which was inaugurated at the beginning of 2012, epitomizes China’s stance as a supporter and even facilitator of African integration.