Focac timeline

First Ministerial Conference, Beijing

Oct 10-12, 2000

Hosted by president Jiang Zemin and attended by 44 African countries.

Main discussions focused on building a new international political and economic order for the then nascent 21st century and also on building cooperation and trade.

The conference concluded with what it called a Program for China-Africa Cooperation in Economic and Social Development.

Second Ministerial Conference, Addis Ababa

Dec 15-16, 2003

Hosted by Chinese premier Wen Jiabao. Among the African leaders was late Ethiopian prime minister Meles Zenawi, a keen proponent of Africa building closer ties with China.

The main theme was "pragmatic and action-orientated cooperation". China agreed to increase assistance to African countries under the FOCAC framework. It also agreed to train up to 10,000 African personnel in a wide variety of fields.

Zimbabwe and Tunisia received approved destination status for outbound Chinese tourists.

First Summit and Third Ministerial Conference, beijing

Nov 3-5, 2006

With its colorful processions of people in African dress and 30-foot high posters of giraffes and elephants, it was the FOCAC meeting that drew the world's attention to the new geopolitical relationship between China and Africa.

Hosted by Chinese president Hu Jintao, it led to the cancellation of debt of 32 African countries.

The China-Africa Development Fund, which has since financed many of Africa's infrastructure projects, was set up with $1 billion of capital.

China also announced $5 billion in concessionary loans, which has been a base benchmark for all meetings that have followed.

Fourth Ministerial Meeting, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt

Nov 8-9, 2009

First FOCAC meeting to be held in the shadow of the financial crisis. Co-hosted by premier Wen Jiabao and Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, it was attended by 49 leaders and representatives of 49 countries, a record number up until then.

The Chinese doubled loan assistance to $10 billion over the next three years from the $5 billion in 2006, setting a precedent where this figure would double at every subsequent FOCAC meeting.

China offered major funding to the hospitals and anti-malarial centers it had already built on the continent. There were also major initiatives in agriculture and food security.

Fifth Ministerial Meeting, Beijing

July 19-20, 2012

FOCAC returned to Beijing and it was seen as a deliberately low-key meeting compared to the splendor of the summit six years before.

Nonetheless, China doubled loans and assistance to $20 billion from Sharm el-Sheikh.

The final declaration talked of a new strategic partnership between China and Africa.

The action plan highlighted more people-to-people exchanges and China's role in fostering regional integration in Africa through improved infrastructure development and other means.

(China Daily European Weekly 12/04/2015 page9)