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O 251041Z APR 06
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TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3841
INFO ALAFD/ALL AF DIPLOMATIC POSTS COLLECTIVE
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 007835 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/25/2026 
TAGS: PREL PGOV AGOA ECON EAID TW CH
SUBJECT: PRC/AFRICA: PREPARATIONS FOR NOVEMBER CHINA-AFRICA 
COOPERATION FORUM 
 
REF: A. NDJAMENA 529 
     ¶B. 05 BEIJING 17598 
 
Classified By: Political External Unit Chief Edgard 
Kagan.  Reasons 1.4 (b/d). 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (C) China has invited the heads of state, foreign 
ministers and commerce ministers of 47 African 
countries to Beijing for the triennial Forum on China- 
Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), to be held November 1-5, 
according to an MFA Deputy Division Director.  The MFA 
is already grappling with the logistical challenges of 
the event, including accommodations and motorcade 
routes. China will use the forum to announce a new 
initiative to deepen Sino-African ties.  Chinese and 
African officials may exchange several high-level 
visits prior to November to further strengthen Sino- 
African ties.  The PRC will likely continue to exert 
pressure on the six African countries that still 
recognize Taiwan (Ref A) to switch recognition to 
Beijing in the run-up to the FOCAC summit.  End 
Summary. 
 
¶2. (C) Poloff discussed preparations for November's 
FOCAC summit in Beijing with MFA Africa Department 
Deputy Division Director Tian Lin, in the Office of 
the PRC FOCAC Follow-up Committee.  Poloff also met 
with various members of the African diplomatic corps 
in Beijing.  Ref B presents an overview of FOCAC's 
purpose and background. 
 
47 Heads of State Invited 
------------------------- 
 
¶3. (C) Preparations have begun in earnest for the 
triennial FOCAC, to be held November 1-5 in Beijing. 
Earlier this year, President Hu Jintao sent 
invitations to the heads of state of all 47 African 
countries with whom the PRC has diplomatic relations. 
Separately, Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and Commerce 
Minister Bo Xilai sent joint invitations to their 
counterparts in each of the 47 countries.  Tian said 
the MFA has already received many positive responses. 
Contacts from African Embassies in Beijing indicate 
that Ethiopian Prime Minister Zenawi, Liberian 
President Johnson-Sirleaf, Namibian President Polhamba 
and Zimbabwean President Mugabe have already accepted 
the invitations.  Tian said he also anticipates 
several more high-level visits between China and 
African countries before November to further 
strengthen Sino-African ties. 
 
¶4. (C) According to Tian, FOCAC 2006 will commence 
with a working-level "senior officials meeting" 
November 1 and 2, during which official agreements or 
documents will be hashed out or reviewed, followed by 
a ministerial on November 3.  The summit itself will 
be held on November 4 and 5, Tian said. 
 
¶5. (C) Tian noted the forum represents the largest 
summit-style diplomatic undertaking in terms of 
numbers of heads of state and their delegations since 
the PRC's founding.  Each African delegation will 
comprise the head of state (or designee), the two 
ministers and seventeen additional persons, which Tian 
said is standard protocol for state visits.  Tian said 
the MFA is already grappling with the hotel, security 
and motorcade challenges of accommodating so many 
high-level delegations simultaneously.  Though the MFA 
is seeking to minimize disruption to traffic and 
business, Tian acknowledged that the first week of 
November will probably not be a convenient time to be 
in Beijing. 
 
PRC Promising Something New 
---------------------------- 
 
¶6. (C) The MFA is still coordinating with other PRC 
ministries and government entities to develop specific 
proposals for FOCAC 2006, according to Tian.  In 2000, 
the PRC focused on debt relief and in 2003, tariff 
reductions.  Both topics will continue to receive 
attention, along with health care cooperation, but the 
Africans are pushing for a new agenda.  As a result, 
the PRC likely will use FOCAC to announce another new 
initiative to deepen PRC/Africa ties, Tian added, 
though declining to say what the new initiative might 
entail.  A Beijing-based South African diplomat told 
 
BEIJING 00007835  002 OF 002 
 
 
Poloff that there is absolutely no African consensus 
 
on how to approach China and commented that FOCAC is 
essentially China's show.  Other Beijing-based African 
diplomats concur.  Ethiopia is officially the co-Chair 
of the 2006 summit, but one Ethiopian diplomat here 
told Poloff that the Ethiopian Embassy does not know 
the agenda for the summit and has, to his knowledge, 
had little or no input into the process. 
 
How Many Countries Will Attend? 
------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (C) The PRC welcomes all 47 "friendly" African 
countries to participate in the FOCAC summit, Tian 
said.  Asked whether China anticipates any of the six 
African countries that recognize Taiwan (Chad, Burkina 
Faso, Gambia, Malawi, Swaziland and Sao Tome and 
Principe) to switch diplomatic recognition to the PRC 
prior to November, Tian said China will be happy if 
more countries opt for diplomatic relations with the 
PRC.  Any country switching recognition to the PRC 
will be welcome at the summit no matter how close to 
November the switch occurs, Tian added.  Tian told 
Poloff that as of April 24 the PRC has not yet decided 
if it will permit any of the six countries in the 
Taiwan camp to participate in FOCAC 2006 as observers. 
 
¶8. (C) Within the Beijing-based African diplomatic 
community, diplomats from two West African countries 
said they heard rumors that Chad, Burkina Faso and the 
Gambia will switch recognition to the PRC sometime in 
June, but diplomats from eight other African countries 
separately said they had not heard any such rumors. 
Most Beijing-based African diplomats say they would 
not be surprised if additional African countries break 
with Taiwan prior to the FOCAC summit.  Several 
diplomats from Zimbabwe and Zambia noted that Taiwan 
is increasingly burdensome for countries such as 
Malawi and Swaziland as regional organizations such as 
the South African Development Community (SADC) deepen 
economic ties with the PRC. 
 
¶9. (C) Most of our Beijing-based African diplomatic 
contacts surmise that any decisions by African 
countries to join the PRC/Africa bloc will involve 
"dollar diplomacy" or other incentives, but they 
underscore that China's economic might is a potent 
draw for diplomatic relations with the PRC to most 
African countries.  They add that China continues to 
exert diplomatic and economic pressure on hold-outs 
(Ref A).  A Zimbabwean Minister-Counselor and First 
Secretary noted that Malawi was permitted to attend 
 
SIPDIS 
FOCAC as an observer in both 2000 and 2003.  Despite 
rumors in 2003 that Malawi was considering switching 
recognition, the switch did not occur, the Zimbabwean 
diplomats noted. 
SEDNEY