Many of Africa’s leaders will descend on Beijing next month for the latest three-yearly summit with China. For leaders from the continent, these collective jamborees have become a familiar part of global summitry — and not just with China.

In the past two years alone, the 54 African heads of state have been invited en masse to Washington for a US-Africa summit hosted by President Joe Biden, to St Petersburg for the second Russia-Africa summit with President Vladimir Putin, and to March’s Italy-Africa summit in Rome presided over by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

African leaders have also had their choice of invitations to similar gatherings in Turkey, Saudi Arabia and, just this June, South Korea — the latest country to get in on the act of African summitry. Many will also fly off to Yokohama next year as Japan becomes the latest host.