Chinese FM Qin Gang Pushes BRI During Africa Tour

Freshly minted as the new Chinese FM, Mr Qin Gang embarked on a five-nation tour of Africa (#QinGangAfrica2023) which took him to Ethiopia, Gabon, Angola, Benin and Egypt.

In each country, he held discussions with his counterpart and the President. In addition, he plans to have talks with the African Union and the Arab League. The dialogue centered around strengthening bilateral relations with the BRI as the common thread.

In particular, Qin Gang highlighted that China shall seek cooperation opportunities in line with a counterpart’s development program and China’s #BRI. In the case of Gabon, the National Development Plan (#NDP) is called Emerging Gabon and thus synergies between Emerging Gabon and the BRI will be explored.

Similarly, while visiting Ethiopia, Angola, Benin and Egypt, Minister Qin Gang highlighted the advantages of the BRI and how it could mesh with the visited country’s development plan.

Minister Qin was pleased to note that China is taking part in the reconstruction of Angola with projects including airports, seaports, power plants and roads. Angola is one of the largest exporters of crude oil from Africa to China.

It is worth noting that during G20 Summit in Bali in 2022, Chinese President Xi Jinping hinted that China might organize a new BRI Summit in 2023, the first such event after the relaxation of COVID constraints in China.