By The Respondent Reporter
Tanzania’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Ambassador Mahmoud Thabit Kombo, is leading the country’s delegation at a high-level meeting of coordinators for the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), being held from 11–12 June in Changsha, central China.
The gathering brings together senior officials from across the African continent and China to review progress on the 2024 FOCAC Action Plan and to chart the next phase of cooperation.
Discussions at the meeting have centred on four newly endorsed areas of focus: boosting China-Africa trade, implementing regionally identified development projects, designating 2026 as the "Year of People-to-People Exchange", and a joint declaration of solidarity against trade tariff conflicts affecting developing countries.
In his opening remarks, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced that China would lift all customs duties on goods imported from the 53 African nations that maintain diplomatic relations with Beijing. The decision is aimed at expanding African access to China’s vast consumer market and strengthening bilateral trade ties.
Minister Wang also conveyed a message from President Xi Jinping, underlining China’s continued strategic prioritisation of its relationship with Africa, particularly as FOCAC marks 25 years since its establishment.
The current phase of cooperation builds on commitments made at the 2024 FOCAC Summit, where China unveiled a ten-point plan for collaboration from 2025 to 2027.
These include initiatives in trade, industrial development, infrastructure, public health, agriculture, security, environmental sustainability, and cultural exchange.
To finance the agreed initiatives, China pledged $50 billion, comprising $29 billion in concessional loans, $11 billion in grants, and $10 billion in public-private investment.
Tanzania is among the African countries that have benefited from FOCAC projects, particularly in health, infrastructure, education, livestock, technology, and tourism.
Officials say its continued engagement reflects a broader strategy to promote economic diplomacy and inclusive national development.