African leaders met Wednesday to discuss the coronavirus pandemic, in a virtual meeting hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, the current chair of the African Union. Also coordinating the Summit on Solidarity against COVID-19 was President Macky Sall of Senegal, whose nation holds…
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi will head to Africa next week, with official visits planned in Egypt, Eritrea and Djibouti, as well as Burundi and Zimbabwe. The diplomatic schedule was announced Thursday by the Ministry of Affairs, which noted China’s tradition of beginning each new year on the African continent….
South Africa is hosting the foreign minister of China on Friday, with his counterpart Naledi Pandor of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) of South Africa welcoming him to Durban. Pandor will host bilateral talks in Durban as Wang Yi begins a three-nation visit that also will take him…
As African ministers prepare for next week’s meeting in Beijing – a follow-up to last September’s Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit – a new World Bank report warns that nations participating in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) will need significant policy reforms to truly benefit from the BRI…
China will host the next step in achieving the goals of last September’s Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit, with a coordinators’ meeting planned for June 24 and 25 in Beijing. The meeting, announced Monday by spokesman Geng Shuang of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will see ministerial officials from…
President Xi Jinping of China, speaking Friday at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, focused on sustainable global development as he assured world leaders that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) aligns with their own initiatives. “From the Eurasian continent to Africa, the Americas and…
China will welcome African leaders to Beijing next week for the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, but ahead of the event it also welcomed praise from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) on how the Belt and Road Initiative can boost African jobs. “The positive…
The government of China has extended its congratulations to President Macky Sall of Senegal, who was declared winner of the country’s February 24 election by the Commission Electorale Nationale Autonome (CENA). Lu Kang, spokesman for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, welcomed the news during a Friday briefing and said Sall…
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…