Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is scheduled to embark on a diplomatic tour of Africa from January 5 to 11, 2025.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning confirmed at a press conference on Friday that Wang, who is also a Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, will visit Namibia, the Republic of the Congo, Chad, and Nigeria.
This marks the 35th consecutive year that a Chinese foreign minister has begun the year with a visit to Africa.
According to the Spokesperson, Namibia, the Republic of the Congo, Chad, and Nigeria are all partners in China’s friendly cooperation initiatives.
Discussing the significance of the trip, Mao noted that this year’s visit is particularly important as it is happening just a few months after the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in Beijing.
“The purpose of Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s upcoming visit is to implement the outcomes of the FOCAC Beijing Summit and to deepen practical cooperation across the board for sustained and substantive growth in China-Africa relations,” she stated.
At the September 2024 Summit, attended by heads of state and government from across the continent, Mao said President Xi Jinping made a proposal to elevate bilateral relations between Beijing and all African countries with diplomatic ties with China to the level of strategic relations. Furthermore, she noted that the overall characterization of Sino-Africa relations should be elevated to an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.
“President Xi Jinping noted that China and Africa should jointly advance a modernization process that is just and equitable, open and win-win, eco-friendly, puts the people first, features diversity and inclusiveness, and is underpinned by peace and security. He also proposed ten partnership actions that were well received by Africa,” she added.
To support these initiatives, Xi announced that the Chinese government would allocate 360 billion Yuan in financial assistance over the next three years.
China is confident that concentrating on sectors such as infrastructure, health, agriculture, trade, and security will promote sustainable development.
Last year, Minister Wang Yi visited Egypt, Tunisia, Togo, and Côte d’Ivoire during his four-nations tour of Africa.
