President Cyril Rampahosa said on Thursday if African countries and China are to build a future that is people-centred, development-orientated and inclusive, they will need to work in a spirit of cooperation and collaboration.

Ramaphosa was delivering the opening address during the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (Focac) Summit, where he pointed out China’s long history of friendship and solidarity with Africa. 

In this spirit, the fourth Focac Summit reflected the cooperative, comprehensive and intentional nature of African countries and China's cooperation, also reflecting a shared desire for modernisation, development and progress on the African continent, Ramaphosa said.

He added that since this relationship was institutionalised through Focac in 2000, ties between China and Africa had continued to grow and deepen, driven by a desire to achieve shared prosperity while recognising individual developmental aspirations.

“If we are to realise a sustainable future for Africa and China – and indeed the entire world – we must acknowledge the reality of the interdependence among our community of nations,” he said.

Ramaphosa believes that Focac can play an important role as Africa works to build an integrated network of linkages between countries, within regions and across the continent.

He sees Focac as a valuable forum to support the implementation of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, highlighting that Focac takes place as the world experiences many challenges, such as war and conflict and climate change.

“The global contestation for critical minerals is fuelling geopolitical rivalry. These challenges affect all nations but are often most severely felt in Africa. Yet, amid these challenges, there is hope and opportunity,” Ramaphosa said.

He welcomed the proposal by Chinese President Xi Jinping to elevate China’s bilateral relations with African countries, advancing diplomatic ties with China to the level of strategic relations.

“We believe that this shared desire is reflected in the ten partnership actions on modernisation to be taken by China and Africa, as announced by President Xi,” he explained.

Through the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement, Ramaphosa said the economies of Africa were being drawn closer together.