Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will soon begin a diplomatic tour of Africa, with stops in Nigeria, Namibia, the Republic of the Congo, and Chad scheduled from January 5 to 11.
The trip continues a 35-year tradition where China’s foreign minister kicks off the year with a visit to African nations, signaling the continent’s strategic importance in Beijing’s foreign policy.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, highlighted the significance of the visit in a statement on Friday, emphasizing its role in deepening relations with African countries.
Ning remarked, “Wang Yi’s visit is at the invitation of these countries and reinforces China’s long-standing tradition of strengthening Sino-African relations.”
She referred to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s proposals from the recent Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which focused on elevating China-Africa ties to a strategic level and creating an “all-weather community with a shared future.”
The proposals include advancing modernization in six critical sectors and implementing 10 action plans aimed at strengthening collaboration in trade, industrial development, infrastructure, and cultural exchanges.
Key initiatives include establishing platforms for governance sharing, launching a China-Africa knowledge network, and setting up 25 study centres dedicated to deepening understanding and cooperation between the two regions.
Ning noted that African nations have shown strong support for these initiatives, reinforcing their commitment to closer partnerships with China.
