Why – after more than 3 decades – China’s foreign minister still starts the year with a trip to Africa

The timing of the trips has remained consistent but their purpose has shifted since Qian Qichen started the convention in 1991

Sending top diplomat to stop first in African nations each year says much about Beijing’s ambitions and Africa’s place on world stage, say analysts

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Published: 10:00pm, 19 Feb 2024Updated: 4:48pm, 20 Feb 2024

When Qian Qichen, then China’s foreign minister, visited Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania in January 1991, he set the ball rolling for what Chinese state media called an “unstoppable trend”.

Since then Chinese foreign ministers have chosen African nations as their first overseas stop each year, even after Qian left the role in 1998.

For 34 consecutive years the diplomatic convention has been followed through by every Chinese foreign minister, from Tang Jiaxuan to Li Zhaoxing, Yang Jiechi and Qin Gang.

Last month, China’s top diplomat Wang Yi again upheld the tradition when he visited Egypt, Tunisia, Togo and Ivory Coast on his first overseas trip of the year.

Observers have viewed the preservation of the decades-long tradition as a diplomatic tool and China’s way of showing that Africa is consistently at the top of its diplomatic agenda – and likely to remain that way for years to come.

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Chinese foreign minister shores up ties with Arab League on final stop of Africa tour

However, China’s engagement with the region has not always stayed the same. Instead, analysts said it had shifted from one that mainly centred on trade to focusing on Beijing’s efforts to expand its influence around the world.

Why – after more than 3 decades – China’s foreign minister still starts the year with a trip to Africa

The timing of the trips has remained consistent but their purpose has shifted since Qian Qichen started the convention in 1991 Sending top diplomat to stop first in African nations each year says much about Beijing’s ambitions and Africa’s place on world stage, say analysts

The timing of the trips has remained consistent but their purpose has shifted since Qian Qichen started the convention in 1991

Sending top diplomat to stop first in African nations each year says much about Beijing’s ambitions and Africa’s place on world stage, say analysts