Cameroon’s Chief Executive, Paul Biya is traveling to Beijing, China to attend the fourth Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Forum on Africa China Cooperation (FOCAC) scheduled for September 4 to 6, 2024.
The event has been organised under the theme: “joining hands to advance modernisation and build a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future”.
The Cameroonian leader is accompanied by his wife, Chantal Biya and a delegation of cabinet minister and other state authorities.
Heads of State and Government of 53 African countries, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission and the heads of delegation of the People’s Republic of China are expected to attend while representatives from some thirty of international institutions and organisations will be present as observers.
Background of FOCAC
Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) came into being following the Ministerial Conference held in Beijing from October 10 to 12 2000. The meeting holds once every three years.
FOCAC seeks to engage consultations on an equal footing, deepen mutual understanding, broaden consensus, strengthen friendship and promote cooperation between China and Africa.
The Ministerial Conference in 2000 adopted the “Cooperation Programme for China-Africa Socio-Economic Development”, which stipulates that the two sides agree to set up a follow-up mechanism to regularly assess the implementation of the measures adopted.
Highlights of the Summit
The 2024, FOCAC has been elevated to the level of the 4th Summit of Heads of State and Government. It will be marked by the 17th Meeting of Senior Officials, the 9th Ministerial Conference and the Summit of African and Chinese Leaders from September 4 to 6, 2024.
The summit will be under the co-chairmanship of Senegal and China.
Two important documents are expected to be adopted at the end of the Summit;
– the Beijing Declaration and the Beijing Three-Year Action Plan 2025-2027.
Cameroon’s Ambassador to China, Martin Mpana, dean of the Group of African Ambassadors and dean of the diplomatic corps, played a key role in drawing up the Summit’s working documents
The Beijing Declaration notes that China “welcomes Cameroon’s presidency of the 79th General Assembly of the United Nations”.
China – Cameroon Ties
Cameroon and China celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties on 26 March 2021. During the event, Presidents Paul BIYA and Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory messages.
Leaders of both countries have paid visits to their respective countries. During President Paul Biya’s State visit to China in 2018, the leadership of both countries agreed to foster cooperation in the domains of:
– The consolidation of dialogue and mutual trust with regard to the traditional ties of friendship consecrated in particular by exchanges of visits at a very high level;
– The sustained appreciation of the status of one China and Cameroon as a unitary, one and indivisible state;
– The fight against terrorism and China’s support against the Islamist sect Boko Haram;
– Strengthening parliamentary cooperation, amongst others.
China’s strategic partnership in Cameroon
Cooperation between Cameroon and China is diversified and perceptible, especially in the field of infrastructure through the realisation of projects including:
• the new National Assembly building in Yaounde (over 90% completed) – a gift
from Chinese cooperation;
• the Yaounde Conference Centre, inaugurated on 12 May 1982;
• the Gynecological-Obstetric and Paediatric Hospitals of Yaounde and Douala inaugurated in 2003 and 2015 respectively;
• the Yaounde Multipurpose Sports Complex, inaugurated in 2019; amongst others.
