The 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation is nearly upon us.

The name may not be familiar to all, but it’s a major diplomatic event in a rapidly changing world, bringing representatives of some 2.5 billion people together under one roof in the Chinese capital.

Leaders from across the African continent are descending on Beijing ahead of two days of discussions aimed at strengthening China-Africa ties — and potentially touching the lives of billions in the process.

So, what’s it all about?

The triennial forum, which first took place in 2000, has been designated a summit this year for only the third time - an indication of the importance all sides give to China-Africa ties.

FOCAC covers a lot of ground — top-level talks are expected on diverse issues, from agriculture, innovation, science and technology, to health, education, security and poverty reduction.

And, of course, infrastructure investment via the Belt and Road Initiative will be high on the agenda.

The 2018 FOCAC summit aims to strengthen coordination between the BRI, the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the African Union's Agenda 2063 and individual countries' development plans.

The investment in African infrastructure and services via these mechanisms is creating new jobs and opportunities, as well as opening up new trading routes to further boost China-Africa trade which has averaged annual growth of around 30 percent since 2008.

And there’ll be a strong focus on the Chinese and African people, with new proposals expected to strengthen cooperation at all levels as well as intensify people-to-people exchanges, as well as cultural diplomacy.

President Xi Jinping will welcome leaders from across Africa to the main event on Monday and Tuesday — and a long list of bilateral meetings will take place on the summit sidelines, as well as a ministerial meeting and various sub-forums.

The keynote speech will come from President Xi, who will also co-chair a roundtable meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Other African leaders will be joined by representatives of business and the heads of multinational organizations, including the African Union, while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will be a key guest.

By the end of Tuesday, the summit themed “China and Africa: Toward an Even Stronger Community with a Shared Future through Win-Win Cooperation” will conclude with the signing of an action plan and a declaration — setting a roadmap for the next three years of China-Africa relations.