Beijing, China – Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi will this week visit Egypt and Tunisia, Beijing said Thursday, as part of a four-country Africa tour before he heads to Brazil and Jamaica.
“Wang Yi will visit Egypt, Tunisia, Togo and Cote d’Ivoire… from January 13 to 18,” foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.
He would also visit “Brazil and Jamaica… from January 18 to 22”, Mao said.
Wang’s visit to Egypt will follow that of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is set to meet President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo for more talks aimed at containing Israel’s war against Hamas.
The war in Gaza erupted when Hamas launched its unprecedented October 7 attack, which resulted in about 1,140 deaths in Israel, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Fighters also took around 250 hostages, 132 of whom Israel says remain in Gaza, including at least 25 believed to have been killed.
Israel has responded with a relentless military campaign that has killed at least 23,357 people, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.
China has historically been sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and supportive of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for an “international peace conference” to resolve the fighting.
Wang’s overseas travel will coincide with another trip abroad by a top Chinese official, Premier Li Qiang, this week.
Li will from Sunday to Wednesday visit Switzerland, the foreign ministry said, where he will attend the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2024 and carry out a state visit.
He will also visit Ireland on the invitation of Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, Mao said.