Assessing China-Africa Relations under the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation (FocAc) (2000-2019)

China-Africa relations have been a topic of huge interest in international relations, as well as the subject of wide scepticism and criticism. Drummond and Liu (2O13) observe that more than half of sub-Saharan African countries have a trade deficit with China and that China remains a dominant actor in China-Africa relations. However, is this so? Are African states mere spectators in China-Africa relations or do they also have a strat-egy to gain something from the engagement? This study examines the role that African agency plays in Sino-African relations under the FOCAC framework. It highlights the main features of Sino-African relations and specifically assesses why China is impor-tant to African states. It examines FOCAC objectives for Africa, FOCAC conferences, the decisions adopted and their impact on Sino-African relations. The paper offers recom-mendations that will allow African states to better leverage their relations with China.