With the advent of the FOCAC Summit in Johannesburg, much is expected in the way of embedding the antithesis to the previously held view that the commercial engagement between China and Africa was "unsustainable." At the opening of the Fifth Ministerial Conference of FOCAC in 2012, South African President Jacob Zuma was vocal about the disparate relationship in trade between Africa and China. The comments were made in the context of exports from Africa to China traditionally being natural resources and their advantages not being practically felt on the continent.

Three years on, the summit in Johannesburg is a historic occasion, not only because it is the first to be held on African soil but because it is time for African leaders and other delegates to take a bold stance and ensure the agenda placed on the FOCAC table reflects what Africa needs to make Africa work better. These needs include deepening cooperation in the areas of infrastructure development, debt relief, industrialization, investment promotion, market access expansion, agriculture, science and technology, health, education, and people-to-people cultural exchanges, all of which can benefit from China’s expertise.

Perhaps most critical of these needs is infrastructure development. During Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Africa in March 2013, he ramped up the financing commitment to the continent to $20 billion, to be dispersed from 2013 to 2015. This has raised expectations of what subsequent credit line may be released at the summit for the next period. What is now emerging as crucial is how this finance will be used to Africa’s best advantage. Since he has been in office, Xi has repeatedly stressed the development of Africa's infrastructure and observers see this as China being encouraged to revisit its focus on natural resources. Africa needs an efficient transport framework to develop and China’s newly promoted“three networks” of high-speed rail, highway and regional aviation networks, as proposed by Premier Li Keqiang, are vital in this regard.

South African International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane has said it is envisaged that the Johannesburg Summit will elevate Africa-China relationship to a new level that would give impetus to Africa's developmental agenda. A major part of this is the African Union's (AU) Agenda 2063, the ambitious roadmap that seeks to empower women, boost industrialization and economically develop the continent. With the AU driving the Africa agenda, it may benefit both sides if the organization that speaks for the continent were to take the lead in dialogue with China and bring a new dimension to FOCAC. In this way Africa may be able to respond more strategically to the basket of opportunities that China can offer it.

Nkoana-Mashabane has said the summit is expected to adopt the Johannesburg Declaration and Johannesburg Action Plan, which will outline specific measures aimed at consolidating the growing mutual partnership between Africa and China. There is no doubt that China's Africa policy over the next three years will be determined by the commitments made at the summit. With the theme for the Johannesburg Summit being Africa-China Progressing Together: Win-Win Cooperation for Common Development, Africa must see that its FOCAC proposals are rooted in its own development requirements to ensure the win-win motto remains the outcome of this historic summit.

THE EDITOR