BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE AND THE AFRICAN CONTINENTAL FREE TRADE AREA

. In 2023, exactly 10 years have passed since the proclamation by Chinese President Xi Jinping of the One Belt, One Road Initiative (OBOR), which has become the flagship direction of China's foreign policy. OBOR is a combination of two mega-projects - the Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB) and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (MSR). A special role in promoting cooperation between China and African countries is played by the MSR, which passes through the states of East Africa - Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Madagascar and South Africa. The book "One Belt One Road Initiative and the Construction of the African Continental Free Trade Area" is devoted to the development trends of cooperation between China and African countries within the BRI, as well as assistance from the PRC in the construction of the African Continental Free Trade Area. Yang Baorong and Ma Hanzhi form the core of the team of authors. The book includes several chapters, the third of which is devoted to tying infrastructure under the BRI and helping to build the African Continental Free Trade Area, and the fourth is devoted to political proposals that deserve special attention. Although some conclusions made by the authors are questionable, the book is a major achievement, on the one hand because of its a qualitative analysis of the formation, development and emerging difficulties of economic integration in Africa, and on the other hand, because it reveals the position of China and the Chinese scientific community on promoting dialogue with the countries of the continent within the BRI and promoting free trade between the PRC and African countries. The red thread in the work traces the idea of the importance of the One Belt - One Road initiative for the successful construction of the African Continental Free Trade Area, as well as for the successful implementation of the 2063 Agenda.