Africa-Press – Kenya. The Chinese government has appointed veteran diplomat Liu Xianfa as its new Special Representative of the Chinese Government on African Affairs.
The appointment, announced by Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun, places a seasoned Africa hand at the helm of Beijing’s diplomatic coordination across the continent at a critical time for China-Africa relations.
Special Representative Liu’s career has deep roots in Africa.
Having served as Consul General in Lagos, Nigeria, and most prominently as China’s Ambassador to Kenya from January 2014, he brings decades of on-the-ground experience.
His tenure in Nairobi was particularly consequential, coinciding with President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration and the dramatic acceleration of bilateral ties.
Ambassador Liu was instrumental in elevating the relationship to a “comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership,” moving beyond historic ties to focus on industrialisation and agricultural modernisation.
During his time in Kenya, Liu was a forceful advocate and manager of China’s flagship infrastructure projects, including the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), fiercely defending their quality and strategic importance.
He navigated complex political landscapes, maintaining strong connections with both President Kenyatta and retired President Mwai Kibaki, whose earlier tenure had laid the groundwork for deepened engagement.
This period saw Chinese investment diversify into vehicle assembly, manufacturing, and technology transfer, with Liu often emphasising that 80-90 per cent of employees in Chinese projects were local hires.
His new role is not merely a promotion but a strategic deployment, especially now that Beijing has its eyes fixed on further deepening ties with Africa.
As Special Representative, Liu Xianfa will act as a senior envoy and coordinator, facilitating high-level dialogue between China, African nations, and the African Union.
His mandate is to “make an active effort for the building of the all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.”
The position, often held by diplomats of ambassadorial or vice-ministerial rank, serves as a direct channel to Beijing’s top foreign policy decision-makers, underscoring Africa’s paramount importance in China’s global strategy.
The appointment comes as China seeks to refine and deepen its engagement in Africa amid a changing global landscape.
After two decades of unprecedented economic expansion, the relationship is entering a more complex phase, often described as moving from “project-centric” to “partnership-centric.”
In the current dispensation, driven by the desire to entrench multilateralism, issues such as debt sustainability, local content, and mutual cultural understanding have moved to the fore.
Liu’s extensive field experience, particularly his hands-on management of the multifaceted Kenya partnership, a relationship Beijing frequently cites as a “role model”, equips him to navigate the cited challenges.
His deep personal history with the continent provides rich context.
In speeches, he often invoked the 600-year-old legacy of Ming Dynasty explorer Zheng He’s peaceful voyages to the East African coast, framing contemporary cooperation as a continuation of ancient friendship.
“What has remained unchanged,” a former Chinese ambassador once noted, echoing a sentiment Liu himself has shared, “is the belief of both our countries to pursue independence, peace, development.”
Beyond bricks and mortar, Liu’s tenure in Kenya also oversaw a soft power surge. This was in the establishment of African headquarters for major Chinese media in Nairobi, the growth of Confucius Institutes, a boom in Chinese tourism to Kenya, and over 200 government scholarships offered annually to Kenyan students.
In his new capacity, Liu Xianfa’s intimate understanding of specific country dynamics, and its capitals like Nairobi, will now be applied to the entire continent.
His task is to harmonise China’s vast array of interests, that is, diplomatic, economic, and strategic, across 54 nations.
He is expected to ensure that the ambitious vision of a “community with a shared future” is persistently advanced through dialogue and concrete cooperation.
For African partners, his appointment signals continuity and the value Beijing places on diplomats with deep, grassroots experience in the culturally complex, but vibrant Africa.
