{"id":28576,"date":"2024-02-21T10:36:42","date_gmt":"2024-02-21T10:36:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/sierra-leone\/all-news\/why-after-more-than-3-decades-chinas-foreign-minister-still-starts-the-year-with-a-trip-to-africa"},"modified":"2024-02-21T10:57:25","modified_gmt":"2024-02-21T10:57:25","slug":"why-after-more-than-3-decades-chinas-foreign-minister-still-starts-the-year-with-a-trip-to-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/sierra-leone\/all-news\/why-after-more-than-3-decades-chinas-foreign-minister-still-starts-the-year-with-a-trip-to-africa","title":{"rendered":"Why \u2013 after more than 3 decades \u2013 China\u2019s foreign minister still starts the year with a trip to Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dewey Sim<\/b><\/p>\n

Africa-Press – Sierra-Leone. <\/strong><\/span>When Qian Qichen, then China\u2019s foreign minister, visited Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania in January 1991, he set the ball rolling for what Chinese state media called an \u201cunstoppable trend\u201d.<\/p>\n

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

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.<\/p>\n

Last month, China\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Observers have viewed the preservation of the decades-long tradition as a diplomatic tool and China\u2019s way of showing that Africa is consistently at the top of its diplomatic agenda \u2013 and likely to remain that way for years to come.<\/p>\n

However, China\u2019s 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\u2019s efforts to expand its influence around the world.<\/p>\n

Lina Benabdallah, professor of politics and international affairs at Wake Forest University, said one of the most appealing aspects was \u201cprecisely the continuity and the track record of the tradition\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has established a narrative of stability and of continuous prioritising of China-Africa relations.\u201dAnd from Wang\u2019s recent regional swing, it appears China\u2019s consistency is paying off.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said it was a \u201cgreat pleasure\u201d that his country was the first leg of the Chinese envoy\u2019s Africa tour, a move he said showed the \u201csolid and profound friendship\u201d between the two countries.<\/p>\n

In Togo, Foreign Minister Robert Dussey said Wang\u2019s trip was of \u201cspecial significance\u201d, and that the West African nation \u201chighly appreciates\u201d Beijing\u2019s tradition of sending its foreign minister to visit Africa at the start of each year.<\/p>\n

Togo\u2019s President Faure Gnassingbe, in a separate meeting with Wang, said: \u201cThe African people need a friend like China, who takes care of Africa\u2019s realities, listens to Africa\u2019s demands, and never imposes its will on others.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Alessandro Arduino, an affiliate lecturer at the Lau China Institute at King\u2019s College London, Africa \u201chas been and still is a top priority for China\u201d.<\/p>\n

But he noted that China\u2019s interactions with the continent had had a \u201cmore ideological focus\u201d in the past. Now, its approach was a \u201cstrategic blend of geoeconomic pragmatism and Beijing\u2019s ambition to lead the Global South narrative\u201d.<\/p>\n

China \u2013 which classifies itself as a developing giant \u2013 has in recent years sought to cast itself as a champion and leader of developing countries and the so-called Global South.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the past decade, China has worked strategically to position itself not only as an economic powerhouse but also as a security player in the region, evident in increased military and police force training provided to various African nations, as well as peacekeeping missions and security equipment transfers,\u201d Arduino said.<\/p>\n

China has been the region\u2019s biggest trading partner for more than a decade, with 2023 customs data showing that total trade stood at US$282 billion.<\/p>\n

China has footed the bill for massive projects in Africa, with most regional countries taking part in Beijing\u2019s infrastructure flagship, the Belt and Road Initiative.<\/p>\n

On the security front, China has been increasingly involved with peacekeeping, counterterrorism and anti-piracy efforts and other measures, given its extensive investments in the region.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

It has also sought to expand its military footprint. In 2017, China opened its first foreign naval base in Djibouti and has been conducting drills and exercises with various African states since then.<\/p>\n

Mandira Bagwandeen, a lecturer in political science at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, said China\u2019s ties with the continent had evolved into a \u201cmultifaceted and dynamic relationship\u201d since 1991 when Qian kicked off the yearly tradition.<\/p>\n

The ties, she noted, had initially been built on securing and maintaining a political alliance following the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and subsequent crackdown that resulted in China being shunned by most of the international community.<\/p>\n

Africa \u2013 rich in natural resources such as oil and critical minerals \u2013 then became a key resource supplier for China\u2019s burgeoning economy in the early 2000s, after China launched its Go Out policy to promote Chinese investments abroad.<\/p>\n

\u201cPolitical relations are still important, especially in the light of the current geopolitical climate. However, economic ties have grown from strength to strength over the years,\u201d Bagwandeen said. \u201cAfrica is not just a simple resource supplier to China any more but a region of strategic importance.\u201d<\/p>\n

While resource interests would remain a mainstay for China\u2019s engagements with the region, Bagwandeen said Beijing\u2019s interest in playing a role in Africa\u2019s industrialisation had added a new strategic-economic angle to the relationship.<\/p>\n

She said the elevation of relations with Africa to a \u201ccomprehensive strategic partnership\u201d in 2015 indicated Beijing\u2019s desire to deepen ties with the region on all fronts, from political to economic to security.<\/p>\n

Benabdallah from Wake Forest University similarly noted that China needed \u201cdiplomatic support\u201d on the international stage when it started the tradition to woo Africa in 1991. At that time, China also needed markets for its goods and raw materials for its production capacity.<\/p>\n

While the degree of China\u2019s needs might have changed slightly, Benabdallah said it was not likely that Beijing would walk away from Africa \u2013 especially against the backdrop of a heated geopolitical rivalry with Washington and Europe over influence in Africa.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think we will see this tradition going away soon because the Chinese side recognises that it is very much appreciated by the African sides,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs such, these visits are an important asset in the diplomatic toolbox of China\u2019s foreign policymaking in Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bagwandeen said China\u2019s diplomatic tradition of keeping Africa as the first destination of its top envoy\u2019s visit was significant for optics, particularly the way China would be perceived by African officials and in the wider Global South.<\/p>\n

\u201cChina\u2019s foreign minister\u2019s first visit of the year to Africa showcases China\u2019s continued commitment to deepening diplomatic engagement and cooperation with the region,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe tradition showcases to the African audience and international community that China views Africa as a significant region in its foreign policy calculations.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said most trips made by Chinese foreign ministers in the past appeared to strike a geographical balance, covering every African region. But in recent years there seemed to be greater emphasis on West Africa, evident in Wang\u2019s visits to Togo and Ivory Coast last month.<\/p>\n

China\u2019s prioritisation of West Africa could be related to the development of its Belt and Road Initiative, under which Beijing has committed to port projects in the region.<\/p>\n

Bagwandeen suggested it also showed the increasing importance of West Africa to China\u2019s geopolitical-economic calculation.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiven strained relations with the French in the region, it\u2019s an opportunity for China to strengthen ties, gain more influence, and expand its development-security approach,\u201d she said, referring to the growing unhappiness among West African states over France\u2019s influence in the region.<\/p>\n

Bagwandeen said the geopolitical and strategic importance of Africa would only grow \u2013 especially when China faced increasing competition from the West and other powers that sought to strengthen relations with the region.<\/p>\n

China, she suggested, was also aware of Africa\u2019s influence in international institutions such as the United Nations, and it needed to ensure it had the support of the African vote when needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo [China] will want to maintain and strengthen ties with the region and show that it really values relations with Africa,\u201d Bagwandeen said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy prioritising the region as the year\u2019s first visit shows Africans that China places immense importance on its ties with the region.\u201d<\/p>\n

source:scmp<\/b><\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Sierra-Leone<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dewey Sim Africa-Press – Sierra-Leone. When Qian Qichen, then China\u2019s foreign minister, visited Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania in January 1991, he set the ball rolling for what Chinese state media called an \u201cunstoppable trend\u201d. Since then Chinese foreign ministers have chosen African nations as their first overseas stop each year, even after Qian left […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":28575,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6],"tags":[291,293,292],"class_list":["post-28576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-files","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-sierra-leone","tag-sierra-leone"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy \u2013 after more than 3 decades \u2013 China\u2019s foreign minister still starts the year with a trip to Africa - Sierra Leone<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When Qian Qichen, then China\u2019s foreign minister, visited Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania in January 1991, he set th ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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