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

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

The China in Africa Podcast