Chinese Foreign Minister’s visit to Africa a sign of deep Friendship

Published:January 5, 2022

By Gerald Mbanda

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, started the new year visiting three African countries namely; Eritrea, Kenya and Comoros. The foreign minister’s response to the invitation is a great manifestation of the friendship between China and Africa.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on December 2, 2021, said that the visit is customary and “demonstrates the great importance China attaches to its traditional friendship with Africa and the development of China-Africa relations.”

In late November, the Chinese FM was in Senegal, to attend the Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). He hailed the FOCAC meeting as a new milestone in China-Africa relations.  

FOCAC, Wang said, is an important platform for collective dialogue and an effective mechanism for practical cooperation between China and Africa, and has become a paradigm of international development cooperation and a model for South-South cooperation thanks to 20 years of joint efforts by both sides.

He also noted that Chinese medical teams have so far treated 230 million patients in Africa, and a network service sponsored by China is serving nearly 700 million user terminals.  The achievements of China-Africa cooperation can be witnessed across Africa and felt in local communities and families, Wang noted. 

Solidarity and mutual assistance between China and Africa have not only consolidated Africa’s independent political status, but also enhanced Africa’s sustainable development capacity, presenting a magnificent picture of China-Africa friendship, he added.

In 2021, the Chinese FM made a five-nation African tour whose agenda focused mainly on COVID-19 vaccines, economic development and infrastructure, particularly through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Although the Agenda for his 2022 Africa tour was not announced, the main areas of focus are likely to be the same as last year. 

In a speech via video link at the opening of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation late last year in Dakar-Senegal, Chinese president Xi Jinping announced that China will deliver 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Africa and encouraged Chinese companies to invest no less than $10 billion in the continent over the next three years. 

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, China has been at the forefront of supporting African countries to get the much needed medical equipment and vaccines, at a time rich countries are hoarding the vaccines, stockpiling far much more than what they need! China has therefore, acted as a friend in need during the COVID-19 crisis. China has not only shared COVID-19 vaccines with only African countries, but with many countries around the world. It goes without saying that China has emerged as the global leader in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic. 

In Kenya, the Chinese FM is likely to visit an infrastructure project of Chinese-built Nairobi ring road that is near completion. The Western bypass, under construction by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), consists of 15 km dual carriageway and 18 km of service roads. The construction of the road link began in July 2019 and is funded jointly by the Kenyan government and the Export-Import Bank of China (China Exim Bank). 

It should also be noted that the port of Lamu in Kenya was also built by Chinese support, which specializes in handling containers and oil cargo between the East African hinterland and the rest of the world. It is also a key infrastructure facility that links East Africa and West Africa through road and rail.

The Chinese Foreign Minister’s visit to African countries is expected to deepen cooperation between China and Africa mainly in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic, economic development and focus on infrastructure projects under the Belt and Road Initiative, plus other areas of mutual interest under bilateral arrangement.  

Gerald Mbanda is a Researcher and publisher on China and Africa.

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