African Union

=== Africa–China relations ===
{{main|Africa–China relations}}
One of the leading economic partners of the continent has been the [[People's Republic of China]] (PRC). The [[Forum on China–Africa Cooperation]] is the main multi-lateral coordination mechanism between the African countries and China.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Murphy |first=Dawn C. |year=2022 |title=China's rise in the Global South: The Middle East, Africa, and Beijing's alternative world order |publisher=Stanford University Press |isbn=978-1-5036-3060-4 |location=Stanford, California |pages=56 |oclc=1249712936}}</ref> Since joining FOCAC in 2012, the African Union has increasingly played a coordinating role, although each African country in FOCAC continues to represent itself individually.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Murphy |first=Dawn C. |title=China's rise in the Global South: The Middle East, Africa, and Beijing's alternative world order |publisher=Stanford University Press |year=2022 |isbn=978-1-5036-3060-4 |location=Stanford, California |page=57 |oclc=1249712936}}</ref>