The path ahead : the 7th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation

We find that Chinese loans are not currently a major contributor to debt distress in Africa. Yet many countries have borrowed heavily from China and others. Any new FOCAC loan pledges will likely take Africa’s growing debt burden into account. The 2018 FOCAC will likely pledge additional loans for infrastructure and investment for manufacturing. But the outlook on Chinese trade with Africa, which has slowed, is uncertain. Capacity building as well as peace and security are emerging as more prominent parts of the China-Africa relationship, and serves to diversify engagement on both sides. New areas of cooperation at the 2018 FOCAC may include renewable energy and the Belt and Road initiative, and may also be influenced by USChina trade tensions.