DAR ES SALAAM, Jan 11: China's top diplomat on Saturday warned against foreign interference in Tanzania at the end of a visit to the East African country, whose relations with the West have soured in recent months.
Wang Yi is the first foreign minister to pay an official visit to Tanzania since the bloody crackdown on election protesters late last year.
The Tanzanian opposition says at least 2,000 people were killed by security forces in the violence that followed the October 29 legislative and presidential elections which international observers deemed fraudulent.
China pledges peaceful growth of Taiwan ties, but opposes forei...
China, which has invested heavily in Tanzania in recent years, did not comment on the crackdown that sparked a wave of global criticism and pushed the United States to reassess its bilateral relationship with the country.
In a statement shared after the visit, Tanzanian authorities said Wang had congratulated the country for the "successful conduct" of the elections.
"China reiterated its full confidence in Tanzania's leadership and institutions to manage internal affairs independently," they added.
Meanwhile, a Chinese foreign ministry statement said Beijing "opposes any external force interfering in Tanzania's internal affairs" and stressed its support for the country's "national sovereignty and security".
After Tanzania, Wang is expected to continue his tour of African countries in Lesotho, where US tariffs have strained relations with Washington.
On Friday, Wang skipped what would have been a historic visit to Somalia -- the first by a Chinese foreign minister since the state collapsed in 1991.
It had been planned at a high-profile moment just after Israel recognised the breakaway region of Somaliland.
