Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi with President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso in Brazzaville, Congo, on Tuesday /XINHUA
Chinese Minister for Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi’s visit to Namibia, the Republic of the Congo, Chad and Nigeria, the first international trip of 2025 for such a high-profile official, signals a deepening strategic partnership between China and Africa.
The trip, which comes just four months after the ninth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit, is seen as an important follow-up to the implementation of President Xi Jinping’s 10 partnership actions.
These actions were proposed to enhance the bilateral ties between African countries and China, with the broader goal of creating a community with a shared future for mankind.
The ninth FOCAC summit in 2024 marked a milestone in China-Africa relations, elevating them to a strategic level and defining the relationship as an “all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future.”
The summit saw the overall characterisation of China-Africa relations rise, and a new framework was established for closer cooperation.
The summit’s outcomes underscored a commitment to mutual development and established a clear path forward for expanding political, economic, and cultural ties between China and African nations.
Wang Yi’s visit is part of China’s continued efforts to follow through on its commitments made during the FOCAC summit, particularly the 10 partnership action plans outlined by President Xi.
These plans span multiple sectors, including mutual learning, trade, industrial cooperation, connectivity, health, agriculture, cultural exchanges, green development, and security.
If fully implemented, these initiatives are expected to help address key challenges faced by African nations, such as infrastructure deficits and economic underdevelopment.
For several decades, China has been a vital partner for Africa, assisting in modernisation and industrialisation efforts. In the past years, China’s involvement in various sectors—such as building roads, railways, ports and technology infrastructure—has led to significant development in many African countries, contributing to positive economic growth indicators.
The tangible results of these collaborations have helped boost trade and foster closer economic ties between the two regions. Additionally, China has been working with African countries under the Belt and Road Initiative to improve infrastructure and connectivity across the African continent, enhancing regional integration and economic cooperation.
One of the major challenges Africa faces is its infrastructure deficit, which hinders intra-continental trade and economic development.
To address this, China has pledged to fund 30 major infrastructure projects across Africa. The continent, with its population of 1.3 billion, faces an annual infrastructure funding gap estimated at $100 billion.
By helping close this gap, China’s infrastructure support will play a crucial role in facilitating economic growth, job creation and improved connectivity between regional blocs, which is vital for boosting intra-African trade.
In this context, Wang Yi’s visit also holds significant importance for attracting Chinese investors to the continent. The growing presence of Chinese businesses in Africa has already generated numerous job opportunities, especially for young people.
Wang’s trip will reinforce China’s commitment to investing in Africa and offer new opportunities for economic cooperation. It also provides a boost to Africa’s tourism sector, as his visit may help further enhance mutual trust and demonstrate that African countries are safe and promising destinations for Chinese tourists and investors alike.
As China remains Africa’s largest trading partner since 2009, its willingness to import more African goods has created opportunities for African businesses to diversify their exports.
This is particularly relevant for sectors such as agriculture, where China has opened up a “green channel” to facilitate the entry of African agricultural products into the Chinese market. By providing African companies with access to large-scale exhibitions in China, these initiatives help promote African goods to China’s vast 1.4 billion-strong consumer market.
Such initiatives are essential to correcting the current trade imbalance, where the trade relationship is skewed heavily in favour of China.
For African nations, the priority should be to maximise their access to China’s market. While China has shown a strong willingness to elevate its relationship with Africa, the African countries’ failure to present a unified approach has often hindered the full potential of the partnership.
The African Continental Free Trade Area, which aims to create a single continental market, offers a unique opportunity for African nations to consolidate their bargaining power and boost exports to China. However, this potential remains largely untapped due to the absence of a cohesive strategy among African nations.
In December 2024, China announced that all Least Developed Countries with diplomatic relations with China would benefit from zero tariffs on all products exported to China.
This policy is a significant step toward reducing trade barriers and promoting the free flow of goods between China and African nations, which stand to benefit most from this preferential treatment.
The policy applies to products within the tariff quota, though the tariff rate for products outside the quota remains unchanged.
In conclusion, Wang Yi’s visit is a timely and crucial step in strengthening the China-Africa relationship. As both sides continue to work towards shared prosperity, Africa must seize the opportunity to maximise its benefits from the growing China-Africa partnership.
