Africa should not be arena for international competition, says Chinese foreign minister

China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang and the African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson, Moussa Faki pose for a photograph after a meeting the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia January 11, 2023. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri

Africa should not be an arena for competition between world powers, China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Wednesday, opening a new headquarters for a pan-African health body at the start of five-country Africa tour.

Qin visited facilities of the African Union in Addis Ababa, including the new headquarters of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. China financed the complex's construction, as it previously did for the headquarters of the AU itself, also based in the Ethiopian capital.

China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang and the African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson, Moussa Faki arrive to address delegates at the inauguration of the new Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters, which China is building and equipping in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, January 11, 2023. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri

China has been Africa's largest trading partner for over a decade. It competes for influence with the United States - which hosted leaders from 49 African countries last month - as well as with former colonial powers such as Britain and France.

"Africa should be a big stage for the international cooperation, not an arena for major countries competition," Qin said at a news conference with AU Commission chair Moussa Faki.

A trusted aide of President Xi Jinping and former ambassador to the United States, Qin was appointed foreign minister last month. His visit marks the 33rd consecutive year that Africa has been the destination of the Chinese foreign minister's first overseas tour of the calendar year.

China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang and the African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson, Moussa Faki arrive for the inauguration of the new Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters, which China is building and equipping in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, January 11, 2023. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri

Qin met on Tuesday with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and other government officials, and announced a partial cancellation of Ethiopia's debt to China during the visit, though neither side provided details. Ethiopia has borrowed $13.7 billion from China since 2000 and has been seeking to restructure its debt to foreign lenders since 2021.

Qin will also visit Egypt, Angola, Benin and Gabon over the next week. Paul Nantulya, a research associate at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, said the choice of countries reflected China's diversity of interests in Africa.

China has strong security ties to Egypt and Angola. Visiting Benin and Gabon shows ambitions to expand Beijing's Belt and Roads infrastructure-building drive - long focused mainly on the Indian Ocean region - into western Africa, he told Voice of America radio.

China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang addresses delegates at the inauguration of the new Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters, which China is building and equipping in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, January 11, 2023. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri

(Reporting by Dawit Endeshaw; Writing by Aaron Ross; Editing by Peter Graff)

China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang meets the African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson, Moussa Faki at the African Union Headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia January 11, 2023. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri