A Year to Remember
The year 2024 saw a further deepening of China-Africa relations, with a number of milestones.
The 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in Beijing elevated China-Africa relations to new heights, unveiling ambitious plans to modernise and strengthen their longstanding partnership.
Economic cooperation continued to thrive in 2024. Although full-year data is still forthcoming, early figures indicate robust performance across various indicators. Trade volume between China and Africa reached $167 billion in the first seven months of the year, a 5.5-percent increase compared to the same period in 2023.
The year also marked the 60th anniversary of China-Tanzania and China-Zambia diplomatic ties. Celebration of ties with these two countries, which are among the earliest friends of China on the African continent, serves as a reminder of the endurance of China-Africa partnership. Notably, an agreement was signed among the three countries during the 2024 FOCAC Beijing Summit to revitalise the Tanzania-Zambia Railway, a symbol of China-Africa friendship.
The 13th Meeting of the China-Africa Think Tanks Forum held in Tanzania in March 2024 jointly released the Dar es Salaam Consensus between China and Africa. This landmark document, the first of its kind among Global South countries, represents shared understanding and commitment to development, and calls for practical measures to promote knowledge sharing across nations.
The year saw the China-Africa partnership lay greater emphasis on sustainable development, with more collaboration and joint projects in sectors such as clean energy, new energy vehicles, and waste treatment. This was exemplified by the Karuma Hydro Power Plant in Uganda, which was fully connected to national grid in February. Major progress was also made at the Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Station in Nigeria. Kenya launched the construction of another geothermal power station in Nakuru in October 2024.
Important efforts were also made to balance trade. China has announced to give 40 least-developed countries, including 33 in Africa, zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines. The year saw more African products, such as mutton from Madagascar, enter the Chinese market. The China International Import Expo concluded in November 2024 provided expanded space for African exhibits.
Other prominent trends across the year included increasing focus on cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and space exploration, improved alignment of development strategies, and increased participation from the private sector. In the following pages, we present key highlights of the year.
8 March
Guests pose for a group photo at the 13th meeting of China-Africa Think Tanks Forum held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The meeting released the Africa-China Dar es Salaam Consensus.
20 May
Participants of the eighth China-Africa Youth Festival try traditional dying techniques in Beijing, capital of China. First launched in 2016, the festival aims to promote youth exchanges and friendship between China and Africa. The eighth edition of the event welcomed youth representatives from 52 African countries.
17 June
A statue of Akhenaten from the Egyptian Museum is unpacked at the Shanghai Museum. It was among 788 ancient Egyptian cultural relics featured in a grand exhibition at the museum. Most of the relics are exhibited for the first time in Asia. The exhibition opened on 18 July 2024 and will run until 17 August 2025.
22 June
President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Felix Tshisekedi (left) waves to the crowd in DRC’s capital Kinshasa. The president on that day laid the foundation stone for the construction of Kinshasa’s ring roads project, one of the priority infrastruc ture projects between the DRC and China.
25 July
Guests attend the opening ceremony of the seventh China Africa People’s Forum and the seventh China-Africa Young Leaders Forum in Changsha, Hunan Province. The events drew over 200 people from more than 50 African countries.
29 August
A floral decoration marking the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) is pictured in Dongcheng District of Beijing, capital of China. The FOCAC summit took place in Beijing from 4 to 6 September 2024.
4 September
China’s Bayi Aerobatic Team conducts a flight performance during the first edition of the Egypt International Airshow at El Alamein International Airport in El Dabaa, Egypt. During the show, Y-20, China’s domestically developed large transport aircraft, made its maiden appearance in an overseas airshow.
24 October
A seeing-off ceremony is held for the Chinese navy’s hospital ship Ark Peace at the port of Cotonou, Benin. The visit was part of the ship’s Mission Harmony-2024 that includes visits to 12 African countries and Sri Lanka. The mission offers medical service to local people and lasts from June 2024 to January 2025.
29 October
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema lays a wreath in honour of the Chinese nationals who died during the con struction of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway (TAZARA) line at the TAZARA Memorial Park. A ceremony was held there to mark 60 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
29 October
Two kids run on a Chinese-built road at Ndama Village, Rundu, Kavango East Region, Namibia. The road is part of a 13-km road upgrade project completed in October 2024. Improving connectivity for 10 villages, the project represents China’s efforts in addressing infrastructure gaps in remote areas of Africa.
8 November
An African exhibitor communicates with a visitor at the seventh China International Import Expo in Shanghai. This edition of the expo saw expanded display of African products, with peanuts from Malawi, macadamia nuts and cashew nuts from Mozambique, and other African produce making their debut at the event.
1 December
Performers of an art troupe from the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese pose for a group photo in Gaborone, capital of Botswana. A performance was presented to Chinese and local people in celebration of the upcoming 50th anniversary of China-Botswana diplomatic relations.
