President of the Gabonese Republic Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema Photo: VCG

President of the Gabonese Republic Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema is scheduled to begin on Tuesday his first state visit to China since taking office. The five-day trip, which also features stops at the ninth China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, reflects Gabon's longstanding commitment to strengthening China-Africa cooperation, and it could deepen economic ties as well as upgrade Africa's industrial and value chains.

"The President of Gabon, HE Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, begins today his first state visit to China," Director-General of the Department of African Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Du Xiaohui wrote in an X post on Tuesday.

China and Gabon are comprehensive strategic cooperative partners that enjoy traditional friendship and mutual trust, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Monday, addressing China's expectations for the visit.

"Through the visit, China stands ready to work with Gabon to elevate bilateral relations to a new height and make greater contributions to building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era," Mao added.

The country's news outlet Gabon Media Time called the visit a "new chapter opening in diplomatic relations between Libreville and Beijing," and noted that the economic and financial dimension is the primary driving force behind this high-level visit.

Song Wei, a professor at the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said the visit reflects the country's consistent emphasis on promoting China-Africa development cooperation, as well as its commitment to implementing the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and translating those commitments into tangible projects. 

The visit also lays the groundwork for preparations for the next FOCAC summit and will help better align Africa's development priorities with areas of cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, Song told the Global Times.

The expert said that the country is now at a critical juncture in its economic transformation, and China-Gabon cooperation can help Gabon advance its independent development, poverty reduction efforts and industrial upgrading.

The president's itinerary includes attending the ninth CIIE and visiting Shanghai, which Song said highlights Gabon's strong willingness to participate in the expo.

The ninth CIIE will be held in Shanghai from November 5 to 10. Gabon will make its debut at the Country Pavilion of this year's CIIE, with local products such as wood products and agri-food products expected to be showcased, according to the official website of the CIIE. The expo is a key platform to promote Gabon's trade and business opportunities, Gabon Media Time noted in its report.

Economic and trade cooperation between the two countries has achieved significant progress in recent years. Bilateral trade reached $3.94 billion in 2025, up 8.2 percent year-on-year, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Chinese imports from Gabon totaled $3.12 billion, up 9.2 percent, while Chinese exports to Gabon stood at $820 million, up 13.9 percent.

"The CIIE complements China's zero-tariff policy for African countries. The policy opens up access to the Chinese market for African products, while the expo provides a direct platform for Chinese consumers to learn more about Africa and discover specialty agricultural products from Gabon," Song said. 

For Gabon, deeper China-Africa economic and trade cooperation is expected to help upgrade its domestic industrial and value chains and further strengthen the country's capacity for independent development, she continued.

In May, China expanded its zero-tariff treatment to cover all 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic ties. 

Gabon is an influential country in Central Africa, Song said. Deeper China-Gabon cooperation could set an example for building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era and serve as a model for cooperation between China and other Global South countries, she said.