FM to kickstart diplomatic visits with Africa tour

Following the tradition of the past two decades, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi will kick-start this year's official diplomatic visits with a tour to five African nations starting Jan 5, Jiang Yu, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said at a regular briefing yesterday.

Yang will visit Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Algeria, and Morocco at the invitation of his counterparts in those countries, she said.

The foreign minister is expected to wrap up his tour with a visit to Saudi Arabia. A stopover at Maldives is also on the cards sometime during the 9-day tour itinerary, Jiang said.