\n Chinese President Xi Jinping will Friday address a summit of 40 African leaders in Johannesburg, with a host of major deals set to underline China's commitment to the continent despite a sharp fall in investment.\n<\/p>\n
\n China's economic growth has recently taken a dip, triggering a global commodities slump and forcing Beijing to slash investment in Africa by more than 40 percent in the first six months of this year.\n<\/p>\n
\n At the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), Xi will \"announce a series of new measures... to support Africa's development,\" said Foreign Minister Wang Yi.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"He will make clear China's strong determination and sincere intention to stay committed.\"\n<\/p>\n
\n South Africa's Foreign Minister Nhlanhla Nene, whose country secured $6.5 billion worth of deals with China on the eve of the gathering, said that the Asian giant's current outlook was an opportunity for Africa.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"As China's economy picks up, our economies, in working with China, will also have the advantage of being in an environment of rebuilding and re-balancing,\" he told AFP.\n<\/p>\n
\n The two-day FOCAC meeting that opens on Friday will be the second time China has brought together African leaders since the forum was launched in Beijing in 2000.\n<\/p>\n
\n Since then, China's trade with Africa has overtaken that of the traditional partners of Europe and the United States.\n<\/p>\n
\n Despite its economic woes back home, China is still expected to flex its financing and investment prowess.\n<\/p>\n
\n But African countries say they are not arriving at the summit with a begging bowl.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"This is not an aid conference, it's a partnership conference. So there is not an expectation that we in Africa are expecting handouts,\" said Ghulam Hoosein Asmal, a senior official in South Africa's foreign affairs ministry.\n<\/p>\n
\n While the final guest list has yet to be confirmed, leaders from some of the continent's most powerful nations such as Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria are among those attending.\n<\/p>\n
\n Officials say at least 41 heads of states and government are expected at the meeting being hosted in Sandton, the upmarket financial district of Johannesburg.\n<\/p>\n
\n Ahead of FOCAC, China emphasised it had delivered more than $117 million in aid to affected areas during the Ebola crisis in West Africa, and also sent hundreds of medical workers to help.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"There is a sense that African leaders seek economic empowerment, not simply reliance, from their relationship with China,\" said Lyle Morris, China analyst at the RAND Corporation in California.\n<\/p>\n
\n Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, is not expected to travel to Johannesburg.\n<\/p>\n
\n He attended an African Union summit in the city earlier this year, leading to a huge furore when South Africa declined to arrest him despite a court order.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chinese President Xi Jinping will Friday address a summit of 40 African leaders in Johannesburg, with a host of major deals set to underline China's commitment to the continent despite a sharp fall in investment. China's economic growth has recently taken a dip, triggering a global commodities slump and forcing Beijing to slash investment in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[553],"tags":[],"ji_location":[],"class_list":["post-25027","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-live-feed"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n