China’s new foreign minister Qin Gang made his first foreign visit to Africa. He will visit five countries there. As commentators stressed on Tuesday, China continues its policy of expanding strategic investments in Africa, which is ahead of other countries.
The diplomat, who until recently was the ambassador to the United States, will visit EthiopiaGabon, Angola, Benin and Egypt on January 9-16, said Wang Wenbin, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing. In Egypt, Qin will also meet the Secretary General of the Arab League.
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Qin Gangus.china-embassy.gov.cn
The new foreign minister is following in the footsteps of his predecessors, who for more than three decades have started each year with a visit to Africa. “This shows that China attaches great importance to the traditional friendship with Africa and the development of Sino-African relations,” said Wang Wenbin. China has become the main trading partner of the continent’s countries and an investor in infrastructure and mining projects.
Africa as an area of ​​struggle for the influence of superpowers
United States compete with China for influence in Africa, which is eloquently evidenced by the December so-called “african peak” president Joe Biden in Washington.
Some commentators speak of a Sino-African “symbiosis” in which both sides can only gain. But there has also been controversy over China’s “palace diplomacy.” It is mainly about financing huge infrastructure projects for African governments to gain influence in their countries.
These actions point to an increased need to solicit Africa at a time of rising global tensions and a potential ‘new Cold War’, said Stephen Chan, professor of international relations at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London. “France, Russia, the United States and China are courting African countries – both for diplomatic support in organizations such as the UN and as allies and economic and political partners,” Khan told Al-Jazeera.
Qin Gang, 56, became foreign minister on December 30. He replaced 69-year-old Wang Yi in this position.
Main photo source: us.china-embassy.gov.cn