Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has arrived in Tunisia on an official two-day visit.
The visit comes as part of a four-nation Africa tour – including Egypt, Cote d’Ivoire and Togo – that has become something of a tradition in January each year.
Mr Wang was received by his Tunisian counterpart Nabil Ammar and is expected to discuss the war in Gaza, as well as co-operation in the health, energy and technology fields.
China recently called for a large-scale international peace summit on the Gaza conflict.
Tunisian Foreign Ministry told journalists via email on Friday that Mr Wang’s visit was proof of the strategic position the North African nation holds for China in the region.
Mr Wang is accompanied by the Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the vice president of the Chinese International Co-operation Agency and a number of high-ranking executives.
He is expected to meet senior Tunisian officials and take part in an “expanded working session” with Mr Ammar.
Mr Wang’s visit also coincides with the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Tunisia.
“Tunisia seeks to strengthen the bonds of friendship with China and establish new and promising partnerships in several sectors, which will contribute to raising bilateral relations to the highest levels,” the Tunisian presidency said in a Facebook post last Thursday after a phone call between President Kais Saied and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
The Tunisian Foreign Ministry also said in the same correspondence that the visit confirmed the country’s foreign policy approach, which seeks to diversify its partners, besides its traditional friends and allies.
Through the visit, the two countries are reportedly seeking to complete an agreement between Tunisia’s Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Agency for International Co-operation and Development.
The agreement aims to establish joint projects in the health, renewable energy and communication technology sectors.
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