Former Chinese ambassador to Kenya Wu Peng give the ‘thumbs up’ sign at the launch of the a Chinese-funded railway in Nairobi. Photo: AFP
Source:
https://scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3099774/new-chinese-ambassadors-expected-kenya-nigeria-and-south Diplomacy
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
The capital city of Nairobi in Kenya. Photo: AFP
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.
Zhou leaves Abuja at the height of a controversy over a US$400 million loan contract that the West African nation signed with China Exim Bank, one of China‘s two largest overseas lenders. The deal sparked concern in Nigeria that the country would cede sovereignty if it fails to repay the loan.
Furthermore, Zhou found himself at the centre of a diplomatic storm in April when he was summoned by Nigerian authorities to explain reports of discrimination against Nigerians and other Africans in Guangzhou during the height of the coronavirus crisis.
In South Africa, local media in Hong Kong reported on Monday that Chen Xiaodong would become the next ambassador in Pretoria.
While China‘s foreign ministry has not confirmed the move, the State Council, China’s cabinet, announced on Monday it replaced Chen as assistant minister of foreign affairs with Deng Li. Li had been coordinating China’s relations in West Africa, Middle East and North Africa and had organised diplomatic missions in the region.
02:39
China dispatches experts, medical supplies to African nations battling coronavirus
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying declined to confirm Chen’s new appointment on Tuesday but said an announcement would be available soon.
According to Stephen Chan, a professor of politics and International Relations at the London School of Oriental and African Studies, the shake-up means Beijing will now feel it has “first-class people in place in two important capitals.”
He said that the promotion of Wu places “a skilled person in the Department of African Affairs”, and added that China has a small but growing number of senior ambassadorial figures for Africa.
The appointment of new ambassadors comes at a time economies on the continent have been ravaged by the impact of coronavirus.
Several countries have sought debt waiver from Beijing to help them weather the coronavirus storm.