The King Declares "Will Appoint a Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa"

The king, on a tour of Africa, is seen on the 6th (local time) in Mombasa, Kenya, exchanging an elbow greeting with Rachel Omamo (right), the Foreign Minister, before a bilateral meeting with the Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister in charge of diplomacy (left).
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Wang Yi, China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister in charge of diplomacy, who is on a tour of East Africa, announced that he will appoint a special envoy responsible for the region known as the "Horn of Africa."

According to major foreign media on the 6th (local time), Wang held a press conference in Mombasa, Kenya, with his counterpart, Foreign Minister Rachel Omamo, and stated, "China will support efforts to overcome security issues in the Horn of Africa."

The Horn of Africa is a region protruding like a rhinoceros horn at the eastern tip of the continent, referring to the Somali Peninsula. It covers about 2 million square kilometers, roughly nine times the size of the Korean Peninsula, and includes Somalia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya.

Kenya is actively engaged in diplomatic efforts to halt the Tigray conflict in neighboring Ethiopia.

The day before, Wang visited Eritrea as his first overseas destination of the new year and met with President Isaias Afwerki, saying, "We firmly support Eritrea's opposition to external interference and unilateral sanctions." Eritrea has been sanctioned by the United States for its involvement in the Tigray conflict. He added, "We will encourage active participation of Chinese companies in Eritrea's development."

In response, President Afwerki said, "Eritrea firmly supports and respects China's sovereignty and independence," and expressed hope to deepen cooperation in various fields such as infrastructure, mineral resources, agriculture, and human resources by benchmarking China's development experience.

Wang also met with Foreign Minister Osman Saleh and signed a joint statement to activate practical cooperation within the framework of the strategic partnership and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

AFP reported, "After completing his visit to Eritrea, Wang arrived late on the 5th in Mombasa, Kenya's Indian Ocean port city."

On the same day in Kenya, he is scheduled to inspect infrastructure projects funded by China and discuss economic cooperation plans with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. China is constructing a new terminal worth $353 million (approximately 424.5 billion KRW) at the Mombasa port to accommodate larger oil tankers.

China provides Kenya with the second-largest amount of credit after the World Bank (WB). The railway opened in Mombasa in 2017 was financed by a $5 billion loan from China, making it the most expensive infrastructure project since Kenya's independence.

However, aware of Western criticism that China is trapping Kenya and other African countries in an unsustainable "debt trap" through high-interest loans, major foreign media report that China has recently shifted its focus from infrastructure investment to strengthening trade in Africa.

The Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs called Wang's visit "historic," stating that discussions on security, health, climate change, and green technology transfer took place, and new bilateral agreements will be signed.

Afterward, Wang will conclude his African tour with the Indian Ocean island nation of Comoros and then sequentially visit the Belt and Road Initiative hubs in the South Asian Indian Ocean countries Maldives and Sri Lanka.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.