Africa should not be arena for international competition, says Chinese foreign minister

China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang and the African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson, Moussa Faki pose for a photograph after a meeting the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia January 11, 2023. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri

Africa should not be an arena for competition between world powers, China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Wednesday, opening a new headquarters for a pan-African health body at the start of five-country Africa tour.

Qin visited facilities of the African Union in Addis Ababa, including the new headquarters of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. China financed the complex's construction, as it previously did for the headquarters of the AU itself, also based in the Ethiopian capital.