Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed welcomed China’s foreign minister Wang Yi on Thursday, as Wang continues a tour that takes him on official visits to African Union headquarters as well as Burkina Faso, The Gambia and Senegal this week. Abiy noted China’s “immense contribution to Ethiopia,” his office said. “Prime…
China wasted no time in responding to accusations by top United States official John Bolton’s claim that its dealings with Africa are corrupt and predatory. It’s an oft-repeated charge, as the U.S. appears to realize too late that Beijing has spent decades courting the continent while Washington was, by and…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
On Thursday, China takes over the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council for November and all indications are that African affairs will be a top priority. Foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said that, according to available information, the situation in the Sahel is a priority topic for Security…
China confirms that it is sending a special envoy to Mali for President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta’s inauguration on Saturday. Zheng Jianbang, the Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, will represent President Xi Jinping in Bamako at Keïta’s invitation. “China and Mali enjoy profound…
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Senegal’s President Macky Sall joined Chinese President Xi Jinping in declaring the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing a success as it ended Tuesday. The summit issued the Beijing Declaration (Toward an Even Stronger China-Africa Community with a Shared Future) to advance their…
President Paul Biya of Cameroon met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday as African heads of state continue to arrive in Beijing ahead of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit. Biya said he stressed Cameroon’s support for China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a global economic strategy at the…
Five African heads of state have started to arrive in Beijing ahead of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit, which begins on Monday. Ivoirian President Alassane Ouattara, President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone, and their counterparts from Botswana and Burkina Faso – Presidents Mokgweetsi Masisi and Roch Marc…
China’s ambassador in South Africa took aim at the United States on Wednesday, warning that the U.S. is making the entire world pay for President Donald Trump’s misguided trade war and “America Only” foreign policy. “The U.S. is making itself the enemy of the whole world,” said Lin Songtian, speaking…
Chinese President Xi Jinping and First Lady Peng Liyuan have arrived in Rwanda for a two-day state visit, where they were received by President Paul Kagame and the Rwandan First Lady, Jeannette Kagame. The visit to Rwanda is the first for a Chinese president, and underscores the growing influence of…
President Xi Jinping of China begins Thursday a trip that will bring him to Senegal and Rwanda for state visits, before he heads to South Africa and the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg. “The visits will promote the further deepening of political mutual trust, mutual development assistance, mutual learning on each…
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday welcomed Yang Jiechi, Special Envoy of President Xi Jinping of China, as he opened a two-day official visit in Cape Town. Ramaphosa said the re-election of President Xi presented an opportunity for South Africa to deepen its strategic cooperation with China at a…
China says it has shut down 143 ivory retail outlets and 34 processing facilities since the country’s ban on ivory went into effect at the beginning of the year. The measures have been well received by Beijing’s African partners, said Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Lu Kang during Thursday’s regular…
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit five African countries on an official tour that begins Friday. Wang will travel to Madagascar, Zambia, Tanzania, Congo-Brazzaville and Nigeria, the Chinese government announced. The official visits begin China’s foreign policy plans for 2017, and follow a diplomatic tradition that puts African nations…
At the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Johannesburg a year ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged a $60 billion economic package that essentially tripled China’s commitment in Africa. To mark the anniversary of the historic 2015 FOCAC summit, a group of African diplomats spent this week in China’s Fujian province….