The 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) convened on Sept. 3 and 4 in Beijing. This is the third summit between Chinese and African leaders. China feels it has a lot to offer African countries. Since opening up began in 1978 China has made a remarkable transformation moving hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and now they want to help share their experiences with others in Africa.

On the sidelines of these meetings business leaders discussed opportunities in a wide range of sectors including environmental , logistics, transportation and tourism. More deals are likely to come out of this event for Africa and China.

At the opening ceremony of this year’s FOCAC summit on September 3, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged that “to build an even closer China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era.”

By 2017, the total stock of Chinese investment and financing in Africa had exceeded US$110 billion, resulting in 6,200 kilometers of railways, 6,500 kilometers of roads, 20 ports, 20 bridges, 80 power plants, 200 schools and 80 stadiums.