Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will start his tour to African countries on Saturday, planning to visit Egypt, Tunisia, Togo, and Cote d'Ivoire from January 13-18.
Wang will be visiting these countries at their invitation. He is expected to hold high-level political talks and follow up on agreements reached at the China-Africa Leaders' Dialogue in August, as well as discuss the prospective areas of focus at the 2024 Forum on China–Africa Cooperation.
This is the 34th consecutive year that a Chinese foreign minister pays the inaugural visit of the year to African countries. The Chinese Foreign Ministry says this shows Beijing's commitment to strengthening the cooperation with the continent. Wang will then head to Latin America, planning to visit Brazil and Jamaica from January 18 to 22.
The Chinese diplomat's visit to Africa is considered the first of its kind since he took office as foreign minister in July 2023. Last July, days before his appointment as foreign minister, Wang, then head of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, visited the continent, traveling to South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria.