On September 13, 2005 an agreement was reached by the Commission and France whereby France would donate €5 million for the furtherance of African Union activities. Some of the initiatives this money will go to are an African Communication Policy and an African Common Defence Force. The signatory on behalf of the Commission was Bernard Zoba.
The African Union Commission became a part of the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in 2012.[1] FOCAC is the main multi-lateral coordination mechanism between the African countries and China.[2] Since joining FOCAC, the African Union Commission has increasingly played a coordinating role, although each African country in FOCAC continues to represent itself individually.[1]