The decision by most African countries to give a wide berth to the second Indonesia-Africa Forum (IAF) in Bali, in favor of attending the ninth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) meeting in Beijing, signals that Sino-African relations have reached a strategic point.
With just a few presidents and heads of government attending the Bali forum, most African leaders avoided it and reaffirmed their relations with China where more than 50 heads attended FOCAC. This can be interpreted as a recognition that China, the Asian economic giant, has proven to be a true development partner for the continent—something that Indonesia, with just two forums, is still striving to achieve.
The 1st-3rd September summit marked the second IAF after the inaugural 2018 event, as Indonesia attempts to join the ranks of global players and secure a share of Africa’s 1.3 billion-strong market. However, this has proven to be a herculean task.
Indonesia views its model of governance and development as successful in the Global South and believes it should be emulated by other developing countries. It also hoped that its summit with African leaders would provide a platform to share this experience. However, the forum failed to garner the attention Indonesia needed.
The events of this week have demonstrated the considerable progress of Sino-African relations, with the results of such engagements improving the lives of people on both sides. This has dealt a blow to the second IAF, which Indonesia hoped would boost trade ties with Africa and open new export markets.
Sino-African relations, despite the vast differences in civilization, have stood the test of time. This is why African leaders chose to focus on FOCAC, seeking to scale up their relationship with China, whose influence can be felt across the continent.
Over the past 20 years, China has become Africa’s largest bilateral trading partner. Around 20% of the region’s exports now go to China, and about 16% of Africa’s imports come from China, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In 2023, this trade relationship reached a record $282 billion in total trade volume.
Although Indonesian President Joko Widodo is positioning his country as the voice of the Global South and an alternative partner for Africa amid the geopolitical tensions among the ‘big players,’ Indonesia still lags behind in terms of diplomatic relations. Despite Widodo’s tour of Africa last year, during which he met Kenyan President William Ruto and Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu, and officially invited them to the forum, Kenya sent Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi. This suggests that these countries do not view Jakarta as a development partner on par with China.
Indonesia, one of the 10 ASEAN countries, sees itself as the gateway to the region’s 600 million-strong market and views itself as an economic powerhouse of Southeast Asia. It hopes to assert its influence on the African continent and compete with major players such as the US, China, Russia, the UK, and France. However, since the first IAF summit in April 2018 in Bali, Indonesia’s diplomatic presence in Africa has been underwhelming. Currently, Jakarta has only 23 diplomatic missions in Africa, casting doubt on its ability to penetrate the continent and achieve its trade ambitions.
President Widodo should consider expanding Indonesia’s diplomatic presence in Africa to reflect the country’s growing interests, while China—whose FOCAC attracted African leaders in large numbers—has diplomatic ties with almost all African countries, except Eswatini, which maintains relations with Taiwan.
China and Africa are working to build a community with a shared future for mankind and are pursuing high-quality cooperation through initiatives such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), as well as the African Union’s Agenda 2063, its Second Ten Year Implementation Plan, and the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
As the world’s largest developing country, China is committed to pursuing higher-standard opening up to advance high-quality development. It aims to build itself into a stronger nation and rejuvenate the Chinese people in all respects through its modernization efforts.
When comparing the benefits of FOCAC and the IAF, it becomes clear that African leaders were justified in snubbing the second IAF in Bali. At the ninth FOCAC, China pledged $50 billion (Sh6.4 trillion) for infrastructure and environmental projects, among other areas.
Although Indonesia is the largest producer of palm oil, its approach to diplomacy—which I would describe as ‘palm oil diplomacy’—focused on showcasing Jakarta’s capacity in palm oil production. However, Africa’s priorities lie in industrialization, infrastructure development, and connectivity, areas where China has already made significant contributions through its high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.
The writer is a journalist and communication consultant with an interest in Sino-Africa relations
