Chinese FM to visit four African nations, attend ceremony at AU headquarters

BEIJING, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Ethiopia, Somalia, Tanzania and Lesotho upon invitation from Jan. 7 to 12, the foreign ministry announced on Wednesday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, will attend the launching ceremony of the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges at the African Union (AU) headquarters, according to the announcement.

The year 2026 marks the 70th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between China and Africa. Wang's visit to the four African nations and his attendance at the launching ceremony of the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges serve to continue the fine tradition of China's foreign minister choosing Africa for the first overseas visit each year over the past 36 years, Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the ministry, said at a press briefing on Wednesday.

Ethiopia, Somalia, Tanzania and Lesotho are all China's strategic partners, and the purpose of Wang's visit is to deepen political mutual trust with all parties, she said.

The visit is also aimed at promoting the implementation of the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, strengthening mutual learning between China and Africa as two major civilizations, and injecting new impetus into building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era, Mao said.