Who is the new China’s special envoy for Horn of Africa?

The EU and the UN had had specialized diplomats too, and the African Union appointed Nigeria's former president Olusegun Obasanjo to the role.

News Keydmedia Online
23 February 2022

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin’s at a press conference on February 22, 2022. PHOTO | COURTESY | CHINA FOREIGN

BEIJING - China has named a special envoy for the Horn of Africa, reflecting the growing interest by the world powers in one of Africa’s strategic, but lately troubled, regions.

Wang Wenbin, China’s Spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters on Tuesday that Beijing had named Xue Bing, a former ambassador to Papua New Guinea, as the special envoy for the Horn of Africa affairs.

Xue is a veteran diplomat with work experience in Africa, the Americas, and Oceania said Wang at a daily press briefing, whose transcript was shared with African media outlets.

“As a common friend to countries in the Horn of Africa, China has always been committed to promoting peace, stability, and development in the region,” Mr. Wang said.

“The Special Envoy will establish work relationship with colleagues from relevant parties as soon as possible and maintain close communication and coordination on advancing the implementation of the Outlook on Peace and Development in the Horn of Africa.”

The announcement followed the pledge by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

On a tour of Kenya, Eritrea, and Comoros in January, Mr. Wang Yi had pledged to name a special envoy for the Horn, currently troubled with incidents of instability.

The Foreign Minister’s ‘Outlook on Peace and Development in the Horn of Africa’, a program by Beijing to support regional countries in achieving lasting peace and security and embracing development, involved naming a dedicated diplomat for the role.

The region, one of China’s growing markets is facing challenges such as the crisis in Sudan which is struggling to establish a transitional government after the coup, Somalia’s delayed elections, Ethiopia’s conflict in Tigray, and South Sudan’s stalled transition.

Beijing becomes the latest world power to name a special envoy for the Horn.

The US in April last year named Jeffrey Feltman a special envoy and replaced him in January this year with David Satterfield.

The EU and the UN had had specialized diplomats too, and the African Union appointed Nigeria's former president Olusegun Obasanjo to the role.

Beijing, though, says it believes African countries can resolve their crisis with support, and has opposed external sanctions on Ethiopia and Eritrea. Both the US and China have strategic interests in the Horn, especially as it is a crucial sea route for their goods.