China opposes foreign interference in Tanzania: ministry

Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan (R) posing for a photograph with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) at the State House in Dar es Salaam. [AFP]

China's top diplomat on Saturday warned against foreign interference in Tanzania as he ended a visit where he avoided any mention of the political violence that has soured the East African country's relations with the West.

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 following the October 29 legislative and presidential elections, which international observers deemed fraudulent.

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".

Wang also met Tanzanian leader Samia Suluhu Hassan, who retained the presidency last year with 98 percent of the vote.

He "reaffirmed China's firm support for Tanzania" during the meeting, a Tanzanian presidency statement said.

The statement pledged to strengthen cooperation and noted a rise in trade between the two countries over the last five years, "thanks to China's policy of opening its markets to Africa".

China has beefed up its investments in the country's low-tax special economic zones, where 343 Chinese-funded projects worth $3.1 billion were registered in 2025 alone, according to the Tanzanian foreign ministry.

After Tanzania, Wang is expected to continue his African tour 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 would have come at a high-profile moment just after Israel recognised the breakaway region of Somaliland.

In a post on X, the breakaway state's Presidency Minister Khadar Hussein Abdi claimed that the Chinese foreign minister had decided against a Mogadishu stopover because of security concerns.

However, China's embassy in Somalia said the postponement was due to a "schedule change and as a result of the friendly negotiation" between both foreign ministries.