FOCAC legacy takes centre stage in Ikenna Emewu’s new book examining 25 years of Africa-China diplomatic cooperation

Journalist and Africa-China affairs researcher Ikenna Emewu has published a comprehensive new book examining the evolution, achievements and future direction of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, FOCAC, over a 25-year period.

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The book, titled Africa’s Bumper Diplomacy: A Quarter Century of FOCAC, was published in 2026 by Afri-China Media Centre and spans 348 pages across 11 chapters.

The publication carries a foreword by Yan Yuqing and presents an extensive assessment of FOCAC’s role in shaping modern Africa-China relations between 2000 and 2025.

Emewu described the diplomatic platform as one of the most beneficial continental cooperation frameworks involving Africa, citing gains in trade, infrastructure, technology, education, media, security and investment.

The book traces the origin of FOCAC to October 10, 2000, when 44 African ministers gathered in Beijing for what was initially intended to be a ministerial engagement with China focused on future cooperation.

According to the author, the initiative later evolved into a summit involving African presidents and Chinese leaders, eventually transforming into what he described as a diplomatic behemoth with remarkable success stories.

A major theme running through the book is the contrast between Western perceptions of Africa in 2000 and China’s growing confidence in the continent’s future.

Emewu recalled that London-based publication The Economist had described Africa as a “hopeless continent” in May 2000, portraying the continent as overwhelmed by war, disease and poverty.

However, the author argued that China took a sharply different position by identifying Africa as a strategic partner capable of shared development and long-term economic growth.

Five months after that controversial publication, FOCAC was officially founded in Beijing.

The book credited Chinese President Xi Jinping with injecting fresh momentum into the framework and elevating its global influence.

According to Emewu, Xi’s leadership marked a golden and blossoming era in Africa-China relations, with FOCAC shifting from a modest diplomatic arrangement into a powerful summit-driven institution.

The publication highlighted the restoration of diplomatic relations between China and countries including The Gambia, São Tomé and Príncipe and Burkina Faso during Xi’s administration.

It also noted that the September 2024 FOCAC Summit upgraded China’s relationship with 53 African nations to an all-weather strategic partnership.

Emewu argued that the FOCAC legacy could also be measured through economic indicators, particularly the rapid expansion of Africa-China trade.

The book stated that trade volumes rose from $10.6bn in 2000 to $106.8bn within the first eight years of the framework, growing at an annual rate of approximately 30 per cent.

The author rejected claims by some Western commentators that China’s involvement in Africa emerged suddenly or was driven solely by access to natural resources.

Instead, the book maintained that China-Africa relations have evolved over decades and now cover manufacturing, renewable energy, financing, human capital development, media cooperation and political engagement.

Emewu further argued that FOCAC has become arguably the world’s largest and most effective multi-party diplomatic partnership framework, involving 55 state parties including the African Union Commission.

The publication said the platform has remained faithful to its founding principles of equal consultation, friendship, consensus-building and cooperation.

Beyond celebrating achievements, the book also called for continuous evaluation of the framework to determine areas requiring reform, improvement or strategic recalibration.

Emewu stressed that FOCAC’s impact on nearly 2.8 billion people across Africa and China makes such assessment necessary.

The author drew from years of direct participation in FOCAC activities, reporting assignments, academic engagements in Chinese universities and visits to investment and infrastructure projects linked to the framework.

He described the work as both factual and objective, shaped by personal experience and extensive research.

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The publication also acknowledged that Emewu himself had benefited from some FOCAC programmes, particularly in media cooperation, while contributing as a participant and implementor in several engagements connected to the initiative.