Overview
- AU Commission Chair Mahmoud Ali Youssouf and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held the 9th China–AU Strategic Dialogue in Addis Ababa on January 8 and opened the 2026 China–Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges.
- The two sides agreed to harmonize China’s 15th Five-Year Plan with Agenda 2063’s Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan to drive coordinated programs.
- Economic talks emphasized leveraging zero-tariff treatment and the AfCFTA to expand trade and spur growth.
- The AU reaffirmed the One-China principle, and both parties stressed respect for sovereignty while voicing concern over developments in Venezuela.
- Wang Yi also met Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for discussions on ties under the countries’ elevated all-weather cooperation framework.