Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Visit Kenya

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected to visit Kenya and two other African countries next week.

According to China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian, the visit is a continuation of the foreign minister’s tradition of starting the year with a visit to Africa.

Later, Wang is also set to visit the Maldives and Sri Lanka.

“State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Eritrea, Kenya and Comoros from January 4th to 7th, 2022 upon invitation. Afterward, he will visit Maldives and Sri Lanka upon invitation,” Zhao said in a press briefing.

This will be Mr Wang’s third such visit to Africa since he was appointed in 2013.

In 2021, Wang Yi started his diplomatic trips with a visit to five African countries — Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Botswana, Tanzania and Seychelles.

Wang’s visit comes at a time President Uhuru Kenyatta has described relations with China as “mutually beneficial.”

“Our partnership with China is one that is mutually beneficial, that is based on win-win, and we are very grateful to the Chinese Government and people for the support that they continue to render not only our country but to the rest of Africa,” President Kenyatta said last week during an inspection tour of the 27.1-kilometer Nairobi Expressway.

During the inspection visit, the president was accompanied by Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Dr Zhou Pingjian, Infrastructure Cabinet Secretary James Macharia and Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) Director-General Mohamed Badi.

The eight-lane elevated dual carriageway is expected to be completed by March 2022.