China is focusing on key African trade corridors and ports in its annual New Year tour, aiming to secure shipping routes, resource supply lines, and strengthen Belt and Road partnerships across eastern and southern Africa.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivers his speech at the opening ceremony of the Lanting Forum in Beijing, China, October 27, 2025. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
Foreign minister Wang Yi will visit Ethiopia, Africa’s fastest-growing large economy; Somalia, offering access to vital global shipping lanes; Tanzania, a logistics hub linking minerals-rich central Africa to the Indian Ocean; and Lesotho, a small southern African economy affected by US trade measures. His trip runs until January 12.
Beijing wants to highlight countries it sees as model partners under President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road infrastructure programme and to expand export markets, particularly in young, increasingly affluent economies such as Ethiopia, where the IMF forecasts growth of 7.2% this year.
Shaping investment beyond roads
China, the world’s largest bilateral lender, faces growing competition from the European Union to finance African infrastructure, as countries grappling with pandemic-era debt now seek investment over loans.
"The real litmus test for 2026 isn't just the arrival of Chinese investment, but the 'Africanisation' of that investment. As Wang Yi visits hubs like Ethiopia and Tanzania, the conversation must move beyond just building roads to building factories," said Judith Mwai, policy analyst at Development Reimagined, an Africa-focused consultancy.
"For African leaders, this tour is an opportunity to demand that China's 'small yet beautiful' projects specifically target our industrial gaps, turning African raw materials into finished products on African soil, rather than just facilitating their exit," she added.
Somalia visit marks diplomatic milestone
Wang’s visit to Somalia will be the first by a Chinese foreign minister since the 1980s and is expected to provide Mogadishu with a diplomatic boost after Israel formally recognised the breakaway Republic of Somaliland, a northern region that declared independence in 1991.
Beijing, which reiterated support for Somalia after the Israeli announcement in December, aims to reinforce its influence around the Gulf of Aden, the entrance to the Red Sea and a key corridor for Chinese trade transiting the Suez Canal to Europe.
Tanzania’s logistics role
Tanzania is central to Beijing’s plan to secure access to Africa’s copper deposits. Chinese firms are refurbishing the Tazara Railway that runs through the country into Zambia.
The railway is widely seen as a counterweight to the US and EU-backed Lobito Corridor, connecting Zambia to Atlantic ports via Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Championing free trade in Lesotho
By visiting Lesotho, Wang aims to highlight Beijing’s push to position itself as a champion of free trade. Last year, China offered tariff-free access to its $19t economy for the world’s poorest nations, fulfilling a pledge by President Xi at the 2024 China-Africa Cooperation summit in Beijing.
Lesotho, with a GDP of just over $2bn, was among the countries hardest hit by US tariffs last year, facing duties of up to 50% on its exports.
