As the world's second-largest economy looks to increase its influence on the continent, China's top diplomat started his yearly New Year's trip of Africa on Wednesday, concentrating on the strategically significant east. This year, Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Ethiopia, Somalia, Tanzania, and Lesotho.
After Israel last month became the first nation to formally recognize the breakaway Republic of Somaliland, a northern region that declared its independence in 1991, Wang's visit to Somalia the first by a Chinese foreign minister since the 1980s is expected to give Mogadishu a diplomatic boost.
Beijing is eager to bolster its influence around the Gulf of Aden, the entrance to the Red Sea and a vital route for Chinese goods traveling through the Suez Canal to European markets. Beijing reaffirmed its support for Somalia following the Israeli statement.
Tanzania, located further south, is crucial to Beijing's efforts to gain access to Africa's enormous copper reserves. The Tazara Railway, which passes through China and into Zambia, is being renovated by Chinese companies. In November, Li Qiang made history by becoming the first Chinese premier to visit Zambia in 28 years.
The Lobito Corridor, which links Zambia to Atlantic ports via Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is supported by the United States and the European Union, is often viewed as a counterweight to the railway.
Wang hopes to draw attention to Beijing's efforts to establish itself as a champion of free trade by traveling to the country of Lesotho in southern Africa.
As promised by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the 2024 China-Africa Cooperation meeting in Beijing, China last year extended tariff-free market access to its $19 trillion economy to the world's poorest countries.
Lesotho, one of the poorest countries in the world with a GDP of just over $2 billion, was one of the nations most severely impacted by the broad tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump last year. The country's exports to the US were subject to levies of up to 50%.
