New Chinese ambassadors expected in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa
- China recently promoted its former ambassador to Kenya to a senior position within the foreign ministry
- Analysts say Beijing is feeling more confident that it can place highly qualified people in senior positions for African affairs
Beijing is expected to reshuffle its leadership deck in sub-Saharan Africa by overhauling its ambassador roles in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.
The Chinese embassy in Nairobi confirmed on Monday that it is moving Zhou Pingjian from his role as ambassador to Nigeria to a similar position in Kenya. The successor to Zhou has not been announced.
Besides taking on the role of ambassador to Kenya, Zhou will also be China’s permanent representative to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and will serve as Beijing’s envoy at the UN-Habitat, an agency that works for environmentally sustainable urban development.
Zhou’s predecessor in Kenya Wu Peng served for only one year before being promoted to the role of director general of the department of African affairs in the Ministry of Foreign affairs. Typically an ambassador will serve for at least three years.
Wu’s quick promotion reflects his success in Nairobi, said David Shinn, a diplomat and professor at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.
Zhou, on the other hand, is making a sideways move. “I suspect it was related to the current controversies in Nigeria-China relations and Beijing‘s desire to put a new face on its relations with Nigeria,” Shinn said.