The Africa-China Summit is taking place in Senegal’s capital, Dakar.
Direct exchanges between the Continent and China reached over 200 billion dollars in 2019.
Trade and security are the main topics under discussion.
Many see this event as an opportunity to work on what is seen as a win-win situation.
“This Forum is an opportunity for our leaders to express the respective needs of their countries, because we need this win-win cooperation with China to develop our continent. China’s achievements in Africa speak for themselves; and after this meeting, we know that many more projects will be announced”, Baye Thiam, a trader of decorative objects in Senegal.
Interviewed ahead of the opening, former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo spoke of a shared future.
“What is important for me is a shared future. Our future globally now [is] so intrinsically interrelated and woven together that if the future of Africa is uncertain, it has implication for the rest of the world”, said the former Nigerian leader.
The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) ends on Tuesday and is expected to produce plans for enhanced cooperation in the next phase.
