Sino-African Cooperation Forum to Take Place from September 4-6, 2024
According to Beijing, this forum will be China's largest diplomatic event since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tunisia will be represented at the forum by Kamel Madouri, Head of Government, in addition to the confirmed participation of leaders from South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and other African nations, as well as dozens of expected delegations.
Tang Xiaoyang, a professor at the Department of International Relations at Tsinghua University, stated that since the last edition of this forum in 2018, the world has undergone significant changes, including the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical tensions, and economic challenges.
He added that the old model of loans for large infrastructure projects and rapid industrialization is no longer viable.
This forum takes place in a context where China has strengthened its ties with African nations over the past decade, providing them with billions of dollars in loans that have contributed to infrastructure development, but have also sometimes sparked controversy by increasing these countries' debt.
Moreover, the continent is a crucial node in the Belt and Road Initiative, a vast infrastructure project that is a central pillar of China's strategy to expand its influence abroad, channeling essential investments towards African countries for projects such as railways, ports, and hydroelectric power plants.
