Gabon President’s Trip to Beijing Highlights Two Important Trends in Chinese Diplomacy

Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba arrived in Beijing this week and will be the first African head of state to meet with Xi Jinping since the Chinese President secured another five year term. Images via Présidence de la République Gabonaise.

The arrival of Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba in Beijing this week may seem at odds with the dozens of other leaders from much larger, far more powerful countries who’ve traveled to China this year to meet with President Xi Jinping.

In just the past few weeks alone, Xi has welcomed heads of state from France, Spain, Malaysia, and Singapore among others.

  • Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis.
  • Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations.
  • Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South.

China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening.

Subscribe today for unlimited access.

What is The China-Global South Project?

Independent

The China-Global South Project is passionately independent, non-partisan and does not advocate for any country, company or culture.

News

A carefully curated selection of the day’s most important China-Global South stories. Updated 24 hours a day by human editors. No bots, no algorithms.

Analysis

Diverse, often unconventional insights from scholars, analysts, journalists and a variety of stakeholders in the China-Global South discourse.

Networking

A unique professional network of China-Africa scholars, analysts, journalists and other practioners from around the world.