Wang Yi To Conclude Five-Nation Africa Visit in Nigeria

PRESS RELEASE

Wang Yi To Conclude Five-Nation Africa Visit in Nigeria

Jan. 10, 2017 (EIRNS)—Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is proceeding on his five-nation African tour (Jan. 7-12), heading to the Republic of Congo and then Nigeria, after visits to Madagascar, Zambia and Tanzania.

On Jan. 9 in Tanzania, China’s oldest partner in Africa, Wang Yi committed to refurbish and modernize the Tazara Railroad between Tanzania and Zambia, a hallmark project which China built during the 1970s. Wang said that

"China will work with Tanzania and Zambia to inject vigor and vitality into the railway through comprehensive reform of the management system, effectively linking the railway to ports and building an industrial economic belt along the railway,"

Xinhua reported. He added that the revitalization of the railway will contribute to helping Tanzania, Zambia, and other African countries realize independent and sustainable development.

For his part, Tanzanian Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said that Tanzania expects to broaden the areas for cooperation with China and deepen their partnership, adding that Tanzania supports the Belt and Road Initiative, and will become a bridgehead of the initiative’s access to Africa.

In his meeting with Zambia’s Foreign Minister Harry Kalaba the day before, Wang had reported that in just the six months following the Dec. 2015 China-Africa Cooperation summit in Johannesburg, China and African nations had signed agreements covering various fields valued at over 50 billion U.S. dollars.

In Nigeria, China is building a railroad between Kaduna in the north of the country and the central city of Abuja. China has also signed a memorandum of understanding on their involvement in building an entire north-south rail connection in the country. China has also helped build five airports in Nigeria.