<description>&lt;p&gt;China's Wang Yi kicked off a four-nation, week-long Africa tour this week, marking a signature tradition for Beijing: making the continent the foreign minister's first overseas trip of the new year.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Wang visited Ethiopia and will also travel to Somalia, Tanzania, and Lesotho in southern Africa.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Ovigwe Eguegu, a Nigeria-based policy analyst for Development Reimagined, joins Eric &amp; Cobus to discuss why these four countries made the itinerary, and what Beijing may be signaling geopolitically and economically.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p data-start="0" data-end="30"&gt;📌 &lt;strong data-start="3" data-end= "30"&gt;Topics covered include:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li data-start="32" data-end="322"&gt;Why Africa is China's first diplomatic stop in 2026&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-start="32" data-end="322"&gt;Somalia Somaliland and great power competition&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-start="32" data-end="322"&gt;Ethiopia debt diplomacy and AU politics&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-start="32" data-end="322"&gt;Tanzania ports and the TAZARA railway&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-start="32" data-end="322"&gt;Lesotho tariffs AGOA fallout and symbolism&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li data-start="32" data-end="322"&gt;China positioning itself as a multilateral partner in Africa&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Join the Discussion:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;X: &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/chinagsproject" target= "_blank" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow"&gt;@ChinaGSProject&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/eric_olander" target="_blank" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow"&gt;@eric_olander&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://www.x.com/stadenesque"&gt;@stadenesque&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://www.x.com/christiangeraud"&gt;@christiangeraud&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Facebook: &lt;a href= "https://www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject" target="_blank" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow"&gt;www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;  YouTube: &lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth" target="_blank" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow"&gt;www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at &lt;a href= "https://bsky.app/profile/chinagsproject.bsky.social" target= "_blank" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow"&gt;@chinagsproject.bsky.social&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Follow CGSP in French and Spanish:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;French: &lt;a href="https://www.projetafriquechine.com/" target="_blank" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow"&gt;www.projetafriquechine.com&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/afrikchine" target="_blank" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow"&gt;@AfrikChine&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Spanish: &lt;a href= "https://www.chinalasamericas.com/"&gt;www.chinalasamericas.com&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://x.com/ChinaAmericas"&gt;@ChinaAmericas&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Join us Patreon!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric &amp; Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! &lt;a href= "https://www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth" target="_blank" rel= "noopener noreferrer nofollow"&gt;www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

The China in Africa Podcast

The China-Global South Project

Why Wang Yi Chose Somalia, Ethiopia, Tanzania & Lesotho for His 2026 Africa Tour

JAN 9, 202658 MIN
The China in Africa Podcast

Why Wang Yi Chose Somalia, Ethiopia, Tanzania & Lesotho for His 2026 Africa Tour

JAN 9, 202658 MIN

Description

China's Wang Yi kicked off a four-nation, week-long Africa tour this week, marking a signature tradition for Beijing: making the continent the foreign minister's first overseas trip of the new year. Wang visited Ethiopia and will also travel to Somalia, Tanzania, and Lesotho in southern Africa. Ovigwe Eguegu, a Nigeria-based policy analyst for Development Reimagined, joins Eric & Cobus to discuss why these four countries made the itinerary, and what Beijing may be signaling geopolitically and economically. 📌 Topics covered include: Why Africa is China's first diplomatic stop in 2026 Somalia Somaliland and great power competition Ethiopia debt diplomacy and AU politics Tanzania ports and the TAZARA railway Lesotho tariffs AGOA fallout and symbolism China positioning itself as a multilateral partner in Africa Join the Discussion: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @stadenesque | @christiangeraud Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social Follow CGSP in French and Spanish: French: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Spanish: www.chinalasamericas.com | @ChinaAmericas Join us Patreon! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth