CHINA and Tanzania have agreed to deepen their historic partnership, pledging support for Tanzania’s key development projects—including the rehabilitation of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA)—and to ease access for Tanzanian products to the Chinese market.

The talks were held on June 10, 2025, during talks at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) meeting in Changsha, between Tanzania’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Ambassador Mahmoud Thabit Kombo (MP), and China’s Foreign Minister, Wang Yi.

During the meeting, Minister Yi highlighted the longstanding friendship between the two countries, founded by Tanzania’s Father of the Nation, Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere, and China’s former leader, Mao Zedong.

He emphasized China’s commitment to practical steps to enhance this relationship, including the timely completion of the TAZARA railway rehabilitation project, a symbol of strong China-Africa cooperation.

He  also pledged continued Chinese government support in financing and implementing strategic projects in Tanzania to accelerate the country’s development.

Minister Kombo expressed gratitude for China’s ongoing support across various sectors of Tanzania’s development.

In presenting Tanzania’s priorities under the ten cooperation areas outlined by China through FOCAC, Kombo highlighted infrastructure, agriculture, industrialization, and human capital development as key focus areas.

He also requested the Chinese government to simplify procedures to increase Tanzanian products’ access to the Chinese market.

The two ministers agreed to sustain collaboration on international issues of mutual interest, reflecting Tanzania’s foreign policy emphasis on economic diplomacy aimed at boosting trade, investment, and tourism.