Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to pledge support for Africa on Thursday at a summit in Beijing between the Asian powerhouse and the continent in an attempt to deepen the bond with developing and emerging countries in the so-called Global South.

At the opening ceremony of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit at the Great Hall of the People, Xi is expected to reaffirm Beijing’s policy of building “a community with a shared future” between the two sides.

In the forum’s previous summit in 2018, the Chinese leader vowed to extend $60 billion of financing to Africa. Observers say China is keen to promote unity with African nations as part of its efforts to establish alternative institutions for global governance to those led by Western countries.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife (C) pose for a photo with representatives of countries participating in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit in Beijing on Sept. 4, 2024. (Kyodo)

Participants of the three-day forum through Friday, which involves China and 53 African member countries, are expected to discuss stronger cooperation through Xi’s signature Belt and Road global infrastructure program, among other issues.

The China-Africa forum was launched in 2000 to boost trade and investment between the sides, with meetings every three years alternating between Beijing and an African country. Its less-frequent leader summit was first held in 2006 in the Chinese capital.

Japan has hosted a summit with African countries known as the Tokyo International Conference on African Development since 1993. The next TICAD summit is scheduled to take place in Yokohama, near the Japanese capital, in August 2025.

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