China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s flurry of meetings with African stakeholders over the weekend was the top item of discussion at Monday’s regular Foreign Ministry press briefing in Beijing.

While most of the briefing with spokesperson Wang Wenbin focused on issues related to Ukraine, a question that was likely choreographed right at very beginning of the briefing provided him the chance to repeat Wang’s earlier statement on the importance of ensuring that African issues do not get overlooked by the war in Europe: “The more turbulent the international situation is, the more we must pay attention to the voices of African countries and increase our support for and assistance to Africa.”