China just formed a mission to the African Union to foster better ties with the region. (Photo : REUTERS)
China has already put into place a permanent mission to the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. Kuang Weilin, former ambassador to Sierra Leone, would head this mission.
On Thursday, it was announced that China has established a mission to the African Union. Kuang would go the Ethiopian capital later this month to lead this mission.
According to analysts, the mission would allow China to communicate and coordinate its major projects on the continent. In addition, the mission would allow for the improvement of the country's diplomatic activities in the African continent.
Kuang unveiled some of the initial plans of the mission to the media on Thursday.
"We plan to set up several departments specializing in areas including politics, economics, peace and security," said the official.
A working team has already gone to Addis Ababa before the end of 2014 so that preparatory work could be done.
China's mission is seen as timely and necessary. The African Union was among the last few regional organizations that still did not have a permanent Chinese mission, even though China was one of the first non-African countries to have a representative in the African Union.
According to researcher He Wenping, this new mission would foster cooperation between China and Africa. Both are working on many projects that involve different countries and regions. This requires good coordination across the continent, and the newly established mission will help in this regard.
One of the major tasks of the mission in the near future is to implement the major infrastructure projects planned by China in Africa. China recently signed a cooperation with the African Union to construct high-speed railways, aviation structures and highways.
