Editor's note: Alexander Ayertey Odonkor, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is an economist with a keen interest in the social, environmental and economic landscapes of both developing and developed countries, particularly in Asia, Africa and Europe. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the start of diplomatic relations between China and Africa, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to Ethiopia, Somalia, Tanzania and Lesotho is aimed at deepening political mutual trust with China's four strategic partners.

The trip also marks the 36th consecutive year Africa has remained the first overseas destination for Chinese foreign ministers every year.

Carrying on the decades-long tradition, Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, will, on a broader front, aims to advance the implementation of the outcomes of the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in Beijing and gives new impetus to building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future.

During the trip from January 7 to 12, Wang Yi will also attend the launching ceremony of the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The 2024 FOCAC Summit designated 2026 as the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges. Throughout this year, the initiative, which emphasizes people-centered engagement, shared benefits and cross-cultural synergy, is expected to strengthen people-to-people ties, the bedrock and lifeline of China-Africa relations.

Over the past seven decades, China-Africa relations, rooted in a shared history of anti-colonial struggle and guided by the principles of sincerity, equality, solidarity and common development, have served the interests of both.

Specifically, in the field of trade and investment, the cornerstone of China-Africa relations, barriers have been eliminated, supply chains strengthened and cooperation deepened for mutual benefit.

For example, from January to November 2025, the trade volume between China and Africa crossed $314 billion, exceeding the figure for 2024, up by 17.8 percent year on year. In 2024, China remained Africa's largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years, with bilateral trade reaching a record $295.6 billion. In 2025, according to several agencies, China remained Africa's largest trading partner by a significant margin.

Trade between China and Africa has, over the years, supported the two sides' development goals. For this reason, Wang Yi's visit to the southern African kingdom of Lesotho, one of the world's worst-hit countries by U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs, is pivotal.

Last year, China accorded the landlocked country and 52 other African nations zero-tariff treatment to cover 100 percent of tariff lines. For Africa, enhanced cooperation with key stakeholders, including China, to eliminate trade and investment barriers aligns with national and regional efforts to unlock the continent's full growth potential.

Faced with decades-long critical infrastructure gaps, a major obstacle to development, Africa's cooperation projects with China span major sectors including transport, energy and digital connectivity. These have typically been a key source of infrastructure financing, skills transfer and technology transfer on the continent.

In 2025, China was Ethiopia's leading source of foreign direct investment (FDI), with over 4,500 Chinese-run projects, accounting for the largest foreign investment in terms of both capital and the number of projects. Benefiting from the FDI influx driven largely by China, Ethiopia at present is Africa's fastest-growing large economy.

In Ethiopia, Wang Yi's visit will reaffirm the long-standing partnership between the two countries, focusing on expanding existing infrastructure projects such as the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway and opening up new growth opportunities for Chinese investment in Africa's second most populous country.

Across the entire continent, Chinese investments are helping build critical economic arteries, including railways, roads and digital networks that foster intra-African trade and support deeper regional and global economic integration.

From January to September last year, China invested more than $1.85 billion in Africa, boosting cooperation in infrastructure and green industries. Between 2000 and 2020, China supported Africa to build and upgrade nearly 100,000 kilometers of highways, over 13,000 kilometers of railways, about 1,000 bridges, nearly 100 ports, and more than 80 large-scale power facilities.

This was done through various avenues, including loans, grants and key initiatives such as the Belt and Road Initiative.

Through Chinese investments, Africa has made significant inroads in building a more integrated economic landscape, crucial for the successful implementation of major initiatives including the African Continental Free Trade Area, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063, the development blueprint covering five decades.

Over the period, cooperation between China and Africa, two regions which together account for about one-third of the entire global population, has forged a new paradigm for South-South cooperation, one that focuses on tangible outcomes and promotes a stronger collective voice for developing nations.

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