Africa visit shows great importance of relations

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi's upcoming visit to Africa next week shows China's sincerity in developing relations with Africa as one of its diplomatic priorities, analysts said.

Wang will on Tuesday start his seven-day trip to Egypt, Djibouti, Eritrea, Burundi and Zimbabwe. It will be the 30th consecutive year since 1991 that Africa has been the destination for the Chinese foreign ministers' first overseas visit of the year.

Li Wentao, deputy director of the Institute of African Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said that China always regards developing countries as the foundation of the conduct of its diplomacy and Africa is the continent with the most developing countries.

"This fine tradition shows that China highly values Africa and stands together with African countries on the international stage," he said. "Unlike some Western countries, China always behaves as a responsible country in providing experience on global governance and assistance to the world's least-developed region."

For example, Wang's visit to Zimbabwe comes at a time when the country is suffering political instability and economic setbacks, which shows that China will not leave or forsake its old friend but instead will help Zimbabwe pull through the hard time, Li said.

According to the Foreign Ministry, during the visit, Wang will promote the implementation of the important consensus reached by President Xi Jinping and African leaders, advance the China-Africa cooperation on the Belt and Road and move forward bilateral ties between China and relevant African countries and China-Africa relations as a whole.

Egypt was one of the earliest countries to express support for China's Belt and Road Initiative, and a total of 44 African countries and the African Union (AU) Commission have signed BRI cooperation documents with China.

Li said that cooperation between China and Africa will speed up accordingly this year as it is an important year to implement the outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Beijing Summit in 2018.

"Faced with the downward pressure on the global economy, it is important for the two sides to find some feasible commercial projects for investment in such areas as water conservation and electric power to realize win-win cooperation and benefit their people," he said.

Yao Guimei, a researcher of African studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said: "China is taking the lead in the world in terms of its engagement with Africa, and Africa is taking an increasingly important position in China's foreign relations and strategy."

As this year marks the 20th anniversary of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, it will be a starting point for China and Africa to pursue high-quality and sustainable development of their relations, Yao said.