Botswana’s First China Visit Focuses on Trade, Investment and Shared Development

Beijing, 17 October – President Mokgweetsi Masisi of Botswana commenced a five‑day state visit to China on 12 October after receiving an invitation from President Xi Jinping. The trip, his first official tour of China as head of state, included stops in Fujian Province and the capital, Beijing.

In Fujian, Masisi inspected a poverty‑reduction exhibition in Ningde and later visited the Chinese Communist Party History Museum, where he praised the province’s impressive development trajectory under Xi’s tenure. Speaking to China Media Group, he emphasized Botswana’s desire to learn from China’s experience and apply suitable lessons to its own economic reform agenda.

The two presidents mutually decided to lift bilateral relations to the level of a Comprehensive Strategic Cooperation Partnership, signalling deeper engagement across economic, technological and security domains. Masisi reiterated Botswana’s steadfast support for the One‑China principle and warned that any action challenging China’s territorial integrity would be opposed.

During the Botswana‑China High‑Level Economic, Trade and Investment Forum, Chinese corporations showed strong interest in several concrete projects, ranging from diamond processing to infrastructure development. Masisi praised China’s zero‑tariff policy for African exports, citing its importance in creating new growth avenues and strengthening South‑South partnerships.

He also stressed the vital role of the diamond industry, which contributes roughly one‑third of the nation’s gross domestic product, while acknowledging the sector’s recent slowdown. Masisi called for broader diversification of the economy and pointed to China’s 15th Five‑Year Plan as a benchmark for swift, effective implementation of development strategies.