China’s new foreign minister heads to Africa for first trip

BEIJING (AP) — China’s new Foreign Minister Qin Gang is starting his term with a weeklong trip to five African countries. The Foreign Ministry announced Monday that Qin will visit Ethiopia, Gabon, Angola, Benin and Egypt from Jan. 9 to 16. He will meet the secretary-general of the Arab League in Egypt. The new foreign minister is following in the footsteps of his predecessors, who have started each year with a trip to Africa for more than three decades. Qin was appointed foreign minister on Dec. 30. He previously was the ambassador to the United States.