China–Africa Collaboration in the Health Sector Under the Epidemic of COVID-19

Africa is considered one of the most vulnerable regions in terms of the response to infectious diseases, especially after the outbreak of COVID-19. However, no responsive and effective health system has been widely established in Africa, leading to public health safety being a tricky and urgent matter that needs to be solved. Under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as well as the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), the China–Africa community has a shared future in a wide range of fields, the public health is no exception being a crucial part of China–Africa collaboration. To solve the difficulties of African local people in accessing medical treatment during the pandemic, China has been providing medical assistance to promote the African region’s health systems. Although fruitful results have been achieved after China’s engagement, the effectiveness in helping Africa’s health sector needs a long way to go. This chapter tries to explore the China–Africa collaboration in the health sector through evidence-based practices. By examining China’s effectiveness in medical assistance to African countries, this study finds that though China supports Africa in the health sector, the follow-up management and operation often have been neglected. Thus, through analysis, this study is conducted to identify the potential challenges that need to be improved further and applied practicable recommendations for China–Africa collaboration in the health sector.