Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with Lesotho Prime Minister Sam Matekane in Maseru, the capital of Lesotho on January 10, 2026. Photo: Chinese Foreign Ministry

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, during his visit to Africa, held a phone conversation with Somali Foreign Minister Abdisalam Dhaay on local time Sunday, during which Wang reaffirmed China's consistent support for Somalia in safeguarding its sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and expressed opposition against any attempts by "Somaliland" to collude with Taiwan authorities in seeking independence. 

During the phone conversation, Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, stressed that China is committed to a friendly policy toward Somalia and will continue to deepen cooperation in areas such as economic, security, and defense, regardless of changes in the international landscape. 

China highly commends Somalia's practical actions in upholding the one-China principle, Wang said. He also expressed China's full support for Somalia's rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council in January, highlighting the two countries' shared responsibility in maintaining international peace and security.

Dhaay thanked China for its support in helping Somalia safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity, oppose all forms of separatism and terrorism, and achieve national stability and development. He reaffirmed Somalia's adherence to the one-China principle and spoke highly of China's four global initiatives.

Wang has arrived in Lesotho, the final stop of his six-day new year trip to Africa - a tradition upheld for 36 years where Chinese foreign ministers choose the continent as their first overseas destination each year. This continuation, Wang noted, fully demonstrates China's firm commitment to standing with its African brothers and resolutely safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of Global South countries, the top diplomat said on Sunday.

Wang met with Lesotho Prime Minister Sam Matekane in the capital of Lesotho, per Xinhua News Agency on Sunday.Calling on the two sides to firmly support each other, Wang said that China will accelerate the implementation of its zero-tariff policy for African countries, including Lesotho, expand bilateral trade, investment and industrial cooperation, facilitate broader access of Lesotho's specialty products to the Chinese market, and continue to support Lesotho's national development.

On his part, Matekane said Lesotho cherishes its friendship with China and the strategic partnership between the two countries, and expressed gratitude for China's valuable support for the development of African countries, including Lesotho. Matekane stressed that China's zero-tariff policy for African products will inject new impetus into Lesotho's development. He also expressed Lesotho's willingness to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with China on multilateral platforms such as BRICS to jointly address global challenges.

"The choice of Lesotho in this year's first overseas trip by Wang reflects the high inclusiveness of China-Africa cooperation, demonstrating that China's support for the development of African countries has always been based on the sovereign principle of equality among all countries, big or small," Song Wei, a professor at the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Inherently more vulnerable in their development, the US forcible seizure of Venezuelan leader Maduro earlier this month has further exacerbated the systemic sense of insecurity among countries smaller in size and raised questions as to whether they have to submit to the will of major powers and whether international rule of law has become an empty promise, Song said. 

"Against this backdrop, China's visit to Lesotho underscores its respect for the development rights and human rights of such smaller countries, and that China will continue to work hand in hand with the Global South to uphold the spirit of international rule of law and provide the greatest certainty for a volatile world," Song noted.

Prior to Lesotho, Wang visited Ethiopia and Tanzania but postponed a scheduled leg of the tour to Somalia. 

In response to media inquiries over the postponement, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Somalia said on Saturday local time that "Following friendly consultations between the foreign ministries of China and Somalia, the Chinese side has adjusted Minister Wang Yi's relevant visit itinerary due to scheduling reasons. The two sides are maintaining communication on subsequent arrangements."

The spokesperson noted that China values its strategic partnership with Somalia, firmly supports Somalia's just position of safeguarding national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, and stands ready to work together with Somalia to further deepen and advance cooperation in various fields.

Multidimensional upgrade

During his leg of the trip in Tanzania, the two sides welcomed the smooth commencement of the TAZARA Railway revitalization project and expressed their readiness to support its implementation. A joint communique issued by the two sides said that China and Tanzania are exploring the possibility of organizing a high-level TAZARA Railway Prosperity Belt meeting in the near future. 

In addition to the three-country visits, Wang held a phone call with South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola on Saturday, per the ministry on Sunday. "Faced with a world intertwined with changes and chaos, China firmly supports South Africa in playing a more important role in international affairs, and is willing to work with South Africa and other Global South countries to uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, oppose the law of the jungle and hegemonism, and jointly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries," Wang said. 

According to the concept paper on the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges released by the Chinese foreign ministry, China and Africa will in 2026 advance interactions across education, culture, tourism, publishing, sports, science and technology, livelihoods, green development and other fields, rally the efforts of young people, think tanks and other stakeholders, and mobilize resources from non-governmental and subnational levels for exchanges and cooperation. 

Ma Hanzhi, assistant research fellow at the Department for Developing Countries Studies of China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Sunday that Wang's visit has provided Africa not only with the much-needed certainty in this volatile world, but also with all-round support. In the economic field, for example, China's zero-tariff treatment for Lesotho will help the country alleviate US tariff pressures. 

Cooperation on modernization has also emerged as a highlight of this visit, Ma said. During this trip, China and Africa have conducted in-depth discussions on experience in state governance, the implementation of the four global initiatives, and emerging fields such as the green economy and digital economy. "It shows China's commitment to helping the continent enhance its capacity for independent development, and jointly address the opportunities and challenges in the course of modernization," the expert noted.

China has maintained its position as Africa's largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years, people.cn reported. According to data released by the General Administration of Customs of China in December 2025, the total trade volume between China and Africa reached $314 billion in the first 11 months of 2025, a year-on-year increase of 17.8 percent. This figure has exceeded the full-year total of 2024, marking the first time that China-Africa trade volume has surpassed the $300-billion threshold.