Addis Ababa, 8 July 2022 (TDI): The Head of the Chinese Mission to the African Union (AU), Hu Changchun, arrived in Addis Ababa seeking to bolster China-AU relations.
Sino-African relations have arguably become closer since 2015 with the establishment of a permanent Chinese diplomatic mission to the organization.
The two routinely cooperate under Forum On China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), and Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Under China’s Global Development Initiative, Africa is envisioned to play a significant role.
On July 8th, Ambassador Hu Changchun, the new Head of Chinese Mission to the African Union, arrived in Addis Ababa. He is looking forward to strengthening cooperation with African brothers and sisters to further enhance China-AU and China-Africa relations.
— China Mission to the AU (@ChinatoAU) July 8, 2022
China-AU Ties
In 2015 the People’s Republic of China (PRC) established a diplomatic mission to the African Union (AU), the third after the US and the EU, to move beyond bilateral mechanisms which have traditionally been the preferred channel for Sino-African relations.
Subsequently, the partnership between the two is essentially based on meetings and policies discussed at the Forum of China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).
In addition, FOCAC has presented numerous regional financial opportunities and has helped build the AU Conference Center, the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway, and Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway. However, the African Union has called for the partnership to extend to strategic objectives.
Increased Development Opportunities
At the 76th UNGA Session, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the idea of the Global Development Initiative to bolster the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) implementation.
The Global Development Initiative has received broad support from 53 African countries and the African Union. Subsequently, the Dakar Action Plan of FOCAC issued in November 2021 affirmed that African countries equally welcomed and supported China’s initiatives.
The areas of cooperation between the two are extensive, from the environment, media, and youth to security, economy, and governance.
