10 December 2021
China and Africa have stood together through times of adversity and success, setting a strong example for the building of a global community with a shared future.
The 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) will convene despite disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, showing the great significance that Africa and China attach to furthering their ties, as well as a deep mutual trust that will create more opportunities for the two traditional partners to collaborate.
Economy-wise, statistics show China has been Africa’s largest trading partner for the 12 years since 2009. China-Africa trade accounted for more than 21 percent of Africa’s total external trade in 2020. China has increased its imports of non-resource products, and offered zero-tariff treatment to 97 percent of taxable items by the 33 least-developed countries in Africa.