{"id":83667,"date":"2024-09-03T16:00:45","date_gmt":"2024-09-03T16:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/kagame-in-beijing-for-china-africa-cooperation-summit"},"modified":"2024-09-03T16:40:39","modified_gmt":"2024-09-03T16:40:39","slug":"kagame-in-beijing-for-china-africa-cooperation-summit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/kagame-in-beijing-for-china-africa-cooperation-summit","title":{"rendered":"Kagame in Beijing for China-Africa cooperation summit"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>President Paul Kagame on Tuesday, September 3, arrived in Beijing where he is expected to attend the China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit slated for September 4 to 6.<\/p>\n

Themed \u201cJoining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future,\u201d the forum will bring together African and Chinese leaders to evaluate the existing cooperation environment and draw a blueprint for common development and prosperity.<\/p>\n

At the summit, leaders are expected to adopt two outcome documents, the Declaration and the Action Plan, to build major consensus between the two sides and chart a path for implementing China-Africa cooperation in the next three years.<\/p>\n

Following the opening ceremony, Kagame will co-chair a high-level parallel session on state governance. The President, accompanied by a Rwandan delegation, will also hold talks with President Xi Jinping of the People\u2019s Republic of China and his delegation.<\/p>\n

This ninth meeting is expected to provide a framework for navigating China\u2019s evolving strategic partnership with the African continent in the post-Covid era.<\/p>\n

In a recent publication, Amb. Wang Xuekun, the Chinese envoy to Rwanda, said that China and Africa will work together to pursue modernization, and create better livelihood for their people.<\/p>\n

Pointing out that this is an opportunity for further development of China-Rwanda relations, he noted that it will deepen political trust, and promote practical cooperation.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiven the shared political will of both sides, the Summit will definitely usher China-Rwanda bilateral relations to a new level, continue to write a new chapter in the mutual understanding, affinity and friendship between our two peoples,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Established in 2000, the FOCAC summit has harnessed cooperation in economic and trade fields. China-Africa trade volume reached a record high of $282.1 billion in 2023, an increase of 11 percent from 2021, and China\u2019s direct investment in Africa exceeded $40 billion.<\/p>\n

Chinese companies signed project contracts worth more than $700 billion in Africa, with a turnover of over $400 billion, over the past decade.<\/p>\n

For Rwanda and China, the shared long-standing partnership since 1971 has generated developmental yields spanning from trade and investments to health, infrastructure, and beyond.<\/p>\n

As of February, China has solidified its position as the top investor in Rwanda, with a staggering $1 billion worth of investments.<\/p>\n

To further enhance exports to China, the two countries signed a Protocol for the export of Dried Chili to China, and a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) to ease business across the board.<\/p>\n

Key imports from China included textiles, electronics, leather, construction materials, and machinery, while the key export products included coffee, chili, tea and handicrafts<\/p>\n

Rwanda and China\u2019s cooperation is carried out through FOCAC, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and the Joint Economic, Technical and Trade Committee (JETTCO).<\/p>\n

China is currently supporting the upgrade of Masaka District Hospital, which will increase capacity to 837-bed facility and eventually house Kigali University Teaching Hospital (CHUK).<\/p>\n\r\n