Beijing announced that China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi will undertake a diplomatic tour across Ethiopia, Somalia, Tanzania, and Lesotho between January 7 and 12. The visit comes in response to official invitations from the nations on his itinerary. In his capacity as a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Wang will participate in the inauguration of the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, hosted at the African Union headquarters. A ministry representative noted that this marks the thirty-sixth straight year in which Africa has been selected as the first overseas destination for a Chinese foreign minister’s annual travels.
