Author: Sanusha Naidu, Lucy Corkin.

Following the conclusion of the third ministerial meeting and the first heads of state summit of the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation (FOCAC), analysts and commentators are asking one crucial question: who was the real winner? With China pledging to a variety of commitments to cement trade and investment ties, mutual political interests and humanitarian benefits, Africa does look to have emerged victorious from the three-day deliberations. Clearly, if Africa is to pursue a path of sustainable development, then the words of Ethiopian Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi at the summit could not be truer: “Our main challenge now is not fighting colonialism but fighting poverty and backwardness and achieving economic independence.”