Chinese Humanitarian to African countries within the framework of the "China-Africa" forum

This study is dedicated to the analysis of humanitarian aid from the People's Republic of China to African countries within the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which has become a key instrument of China's foreign policy in the region since the beginning of the 21st century. In the context of chronic resource shortages, social instability, environmental challenges, and the repercussions of its colonial past, African countries require support that promotes their sustainable development. China, positioning itself as a representative of the Global South, actively develops humanitarian cooperation in the fields of health, food security, education, emergency response, and climate risk mitigation. The research examines how China's humanitarian aid is integrated into broader processes of economic and political expansion, serves to strengthen strategic partnerships, and influences the changing global order and balance of power in international relations. Special attention is given to the political motivations, ideological aspects of aid, and the peculiarities of the Chinese model of interaction with African countries compared to Western donors. The study employs an interdisciplinary approach, including the analysis of FOCAC documents, official statements, expert assessments, international statistics, as well as a critical review of the scientific literature and a comparative study of aid models. The novelty of the research lies in its comprehensive assessment of China's humanitarian aid as an element of foreign policy doctrine that combines ideological rhetoric with pragmatic interests. The author reveals that through FOCAC, China implements a "South-South" cooperation model, contrasting it with conditional aid practices from the West. China's humanitarian strategy includes food and medical support, infrastructure projects, education, and climate adaptation while actively utilizing memories of colonialism and anti-hegemonic rhetoric to enhance its influence. It concludes that despite positive outcomes, opacity, selectivity, and weak coordination with international institutions raise questions about the long-term sustainability and effectiveness of China's aid model, necessitating further scholarly research. The study demonstrates that China's humanitarian aid goes beyond short-term crisis responses and is increasingly used as a tool of "soft power" aimed at expanding political influence, accessing natural resources, and strengthening China's global image as a responsible leader of the Global South.

China, Africa, FOCAC, humanitarian aid, international development cooperation, South-South model, foreign policy, food security, soft power, international assistance