Editor's note: Zheng Yu is a Professor of International Politics at Fudan University and Smith Ikome, from Cameroon, is a Ph.D. candidate at Fudan University. The article reflects the authors' opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

Sino-Africa relations under the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), have been among the most striking, comprehensive, strategic and cooperative partnerships in the 21st century. FOCAC represents one of the earliest regional forum mechanisms of China's regional multilateralism in the developing world. The triennial summit has become a major event in global politics since its inauguration, as it sets the tone for Sino-African relations in the contemporary era.

Since its formation in 2000, FOCAC has proven to be an effective "blueprint" for interregional cooperation between China and African countries. Sino-Africa relations have developed exponentially under the aegis of FOCAC. Between 2000 and 2020, Sino-Africa trade has increased by 20 times, and Chinese investment in Africa increased by 100 times. China is also Africa's biggest source of infrastructure financing other than African governments, accounting for about 26 percent of total infrastructure funding.

The forthcoming FOCAC Ministerial Forum (due to take place in Dakar, Senegal from November 29 to 30, 2021) finds the continent still in the grip of insecurity, political instability, but most importantly, a region vulnerable to the present global pandemic and its economic aftershock.

Moreover, the FOCAC 2021 takes place against the backdrop of an increasingly complex international environment marked by heightened tensions between major powers. Yet, the convening of its 8th edition reflects the broadening of cooperative partnership between China and Africa which encompasses economic, cultural, security, diplomatic, technological and health cooperation. For a partnership that has contributed significantly to Africa's accelerated growth, the current circumstances offer an opportunity for reflection on its trajectory in the near to medium-term future.

The FOCAC 2021 is promising to build on both parties' increasingly close economic and security relations over the last two decades. The theme of FOCAC 2021, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin, will "deepen China-Africa partnership and promote sustainable development to build a China-Africa Community with a shared future in the new era."

Several African heads of state and governments have praised China's pandemic assistance to Africa. Despite its significant economic investments in Africa, the onset of COVID-19 and China's responses through what is characterized as "pandemic diplomacy" has boosted China's image in an Africa seemingly abandoned by the West.

Since the pandemic outbreak, China and Africa have worked closely to contain its spread. China's health outreach in Africa is in high gear. In May 2020, Chinese President, Xi Jinping, pledged $2 billion in COVID-19 assistance to developing countries at the World Health Assembly (WHA). Furthermore, China has deployed 46 medical teams to Africa, established cooperation between Chinese hospitals and 30 African hospitals to facilitate knowledge transfer.

Most significantly, both sides have begun joint ventures to produce coronavirus vaccines on the African continent. China has also promised to assist the Africa Union (AU) in constructing the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters (Africa-CDC). The implications of Beijing's advancement from donating PPEs and medical aid to setting up vaccine production centers in Africa (e.g., Algeria, Egypt, Morocco) are unprecedented and are hard to ignore, especially for the leaders of the West.

Surely, with the upcoming FOCAC yet to be presided, health cooperation will undoubtedly take the spotlight. The forthcoming "FOCAC Dakar Declaration" is expected to contain an unprecedented long-term mega public health package to support African states to alleviate the pandemic. It is important to note that Beijing has consistently maintained its commitment to delivering public health goods to Africa since the Mao Zedong era.

Against the backdrop of the present macroeconomic uncertainties, economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic, both sides are expected to adopt practical commitments to uplift Africa's struggling economies and boost development aspirations in the region. Even though interregional trade has been steadily increasing for the past two decades, weak commodity prices have greatly impacted the value of African exports.

Huge productive capacity gaps in Africa's industrial sectors exist. FOCAC serves as an essential mechanism in enabling Africa's industrial capacity and resilience in the face of an increasingly complex international economic system. Robust industrial capacity cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative and greater cooperation in reconstructing African infrastructure and industrial development, will lend new impetus to the win-win cooperation and common development between China and Africa.

The newly enforced African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), with the potential to increase intra-Africa trade by about 33 percent, presents a tremendous opportunity for further cooperation between Africa and China.

The implementation of AfCFTA will significantly increase the demand for strengthening Africa's connectivity and integration. The FOCAC 2021, thus comes at a critical time to spur Sino-Africa ties in infrastructure, energy and digital economy, which would become Africa's development priorities.

The AU would put forward a proposal to establish a China-Africa infrastructure cooperation plan aligned to the AU's Program for Infrastructure Development-Priority Action Plan (PIDA-PAP2). Since 2000, China and its African allies have fared incredibly well in reducing Africa's infrastructure deficit.

Collectively, both sides are focused on rewriting the narrative, which explains why FOCAC has become more resilient and visible among many partnerships.

Most importantly, will extraregional/global powers embrace the philosophy of shared interests to build an even stronger community with a shared future between countries and regions or adhere to zero-sum games? Although African policymakers have continued to advocate for an ambitious replenishment of development assistance to support their economies, security issues nonetheless, still persist and remain a daunting problem in Africa.

China has promised to step up military and security cooperation with Africa, including the "promotion of political solutions" to "hot spot issues, and the enhancement of peacekeeping and counterterrorism capacity" as articulated by State Councilor and Foreign Minister, Wang Yi's Seven-Point Proposition to Upgrade China-Africa Cooperation during his Africa tour in January 2021.

China is also a pioneer member of the Africa-China-Europe Expert Working Group (EWG) on conventional arms control. This exemplifies the importance, but also the potential of joint cooperation with Africa and other stakeholders to develop long-term solutions to Africa's recurring security concerns. China's leadership shows that mutual cooperation is a positive-sum game. Therefore, all parties should at least work together where interests align. 

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com.)