China Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi is on the annual visit to Africa, making his first overseas trip of the year that is Beijing’s longstanding tradition, now in its 34th consecutive year.
The visit by Minister Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, will be between January 13-18 and will cover Egypt, Tunisia, Togo, and Côte d’Ivoire, showcasing Beijing’s commitment to a major-country diplomacy with distinct Chinese characteristics for the new era.
Minister Wang’s visit to the North and West African countries comes against the backdrop of the recent key conferences in Beijing – the central conference on work relating to foreign affairs (December 27-28, 2023) and the annual work conference for overseas envoys to foreign countries (December 29, 2023).
The two conferences on advancing China’s foreign policy will provide the fundamental guidance for deepening Sino-Africa diplomatic ties in the post-COVID-19 era, where Kenya firmly enjoys comprehensive strategic cooperation.
The annual visits, often viewed as routine, have proven effective in promoting independence, peaceful development, and stability across Africa, unsettling the continents traditional partners. Historically, China and Africa have had in recent centuries been politically and economically dominated by external powers, while experiencing very low per capita incomes and high rates of poverty and under-development.
Thus, when China emerged as the 21st century’s economic superpower, its offer of ‘global public goods’ such as the construction of railways, highways, ports, airports, special economic zones and industrial parks, and other forms of
infrastructure projects and investments have revolutionized the continent of Africa.
Wang Yi’s high-level visit is a continuation of advocacy by China that development must not be a monopoly of a few countries, or specific classes or segments of society. It must be a shared prosperity.
Dennis Munene
Success in Chinese modernization has inspired a spirit of African renaissance and the continent’s independent path to modernization.
However, Foreign Minister Wang’s 2024 visit to Africa will be a classic implementation strategy of the outcomes of the two conferences held in Beijing that advocated the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
First, the visit will affirm China’s comprehensive and strategic relationship with African countries. As highlighted at the central conference on work relating to foreign affairs in Beijing, China will continue to form a wide-ranging and high-quality global network of partnerships.
Africa has always been a worthy partner in Beijing’s goal of building a modern socialist country in all respects and advancing national rejuvenation on all fronts.
Second, the high-level visit is a continuation of advocacy by China that development must not be a monopoly of a few countries, or specific classes or segments of society. It must be a shared prosperity. Therefore, the rationale underlying Chinese strategic diplomacy beyond its territorial confines resides in its endeavor to foster economic prosperity within various regions of Africa, with the ultimate objective of cultivating harmonious coexistence and facilitating sustainable
development.
Third, for China, a peaceful environment is necessary to develop a stable economy. Thus, stability through the offer of global public goods such as the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), and the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) will anchor Foreign
Minister Wang’s visit, especially in West African countries, a region that has experienced instability through coup d’états.
Knowing that some of these conflicts are externally engineered by other forces, China continues to reject all acts of power politics and bullying and continues to uphold the five principles of peaceful co-existence which are mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs,
equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence.
Fourth, this visit serves to enhance China’s knowledge of Africa’s strengths and challenges, aligning with President Xi Jinping’s guidance at the 2023 annual work conference for overseas envoys to foreign countries. Diplomats were urged to understand the international environment, a departure from Western-led boardroom-driven policies that have prolonged Africa’s
underdevelopment.
For instance, in the 1980s, dubbed the “lost decade” for Africa, highlights the adverse effects of externally imposed Western-led modernization models. The Bretton Woods system, introduced the ill-fated Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP), exacerbating socio-economic crises rather than alleviating them.
This disrupted Africa’s pursuit of modernization.
Therefore, as China continues to implement its “modernization doctrine” to enhance Africa’s economic development, attract foreign investment, generate local employment, alleviate poverty, and foster a path toward prosperity, minister Wang’s visit to North and West African countries continues to underscore China’s commitment for an equal and multipolar world, and a collectively beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.
Dennis Munene is API’s China-Africa Center Executive Director
