Maseru, Jan. 26 — Chinese Ambassador to Lesotho, Mr. Yang Xiaokun says 2026 will see the implementation for more FOCAC action plans as well as outcomes on Minister Wang Yi’s visit earlier this month.
Ambassador Yang said this during media briefing where he said the past year (2025) marked the second year of implementing the outcomes of the FOCAC summit in 2024 in which he said many commitments have been effectively delivered including emergency food assistance, agricultural machinery and equipment, agriculture storage and logistic infrastructure, ongoing construction of fire station and fire engine as well as the Confucious Institute that he said has made remarkable progress.
Ambassador Yang, indicated that during Minister Wang Yi’s visit, the two sides reached a series of new and important outcomes where China announced a new grant of RMB 100 million (M250 million), saying China will also provide RMB 12 million (M30 million) worth of emergency food assistance. He added that substantial progress has been made on advancing the second phase of the Mafeteng Solar Power Plant Project.
He mentioned that these outcomes mean that both the Chinese embassy and Lesotho will remain on their toes focusing on implementation highlighting that they have established a more structured bilateral cooperation mechanism to ensure effective coordination and delivery.
He expressed confidence that all the important consensus reached by their leaders will be translated into tangible benefits for the people of Lesotho.
Moreover, he said he was proud that Lesotho was included as one of the destinations of Minister Wang Yi’s visit this year saying China and Lesotho enjoy excellent political relations and maintain frequent exchanges between their leaders citing that they have received sincere and considerate messages of support from His Majesty King Letsie III during times when China faced natural disasters.
“We also regularly exchange congratulatory messages on national occasions, reflecting the closeness of our friendship”, he added.
He noted that Lesotho has consistently provided firm support to China on issues concerning China’s core interests, including the one-China principle and human rights issues. While he said at the same time, China and Lesotho practical cooperation has yielded fruitful results.
“Our two countries also share common positions on global issues such as climate change as well as strong alignment on major initiatives including the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative”, he said.
He mentioned that Lesotho’s inclusion in Minister Wang Yi’s visit was not by coincidence but because Lesotho matters and its people matter emphasising that China values every sincere friend and Lesotho is one of them.
Commenting on the launch of China-Africa year of people to people exchanges and what the initiative means for China-Africa relations and 2026 as Year of Horse in Chinese culture, Ambassador Yang reiterated that President Xi Jinping has emphasized that “the foundation and lifeblood of China-Africa relations lie in the people” therefore emphasising that the relationship between China and Africa is ultimately rooted in exchanges and friendship between their people.
He said this year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Africa saying to commemorate this important milestone, China and Africa jointly designated this year as the China–Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges.
He explained that this initiative is not merely symbolic saying around 600 exchange activities will be held throughout the year in China and across Africa, covering areas such as youth, women, culture, education, and civil society.
He added that these activities will further enhance mutual understanding, deepen grassroots friendship and enrich people-to-people ties between China and Africa.
“The Year of the Horse, 2026 is the Year of the Horse in the Chinese lunar calendar, he said whenever he thinks of Lesotho, the image that comes to mind is a Mosotho on a horseback, wearing a Basotho hat and blanket saying the horse is deeply embedded in Lesotho’s culture and daily life.
He elaborated that in Chinese culture, the horse symbolizes good fortune, vitality, and success saying there are several well-known Chinese idioms related to the horse.
“For example, “success comes as soon as the horse arrives,” symbolizing a strong start, as our bilateral relationship in the year of 2026, another describes powerful collective momentum, as the China-Africa cooperation and friendship while the other means urging a fast horse to go even faster, as the continuous progress of our bilateral relations in the year of 2026”, he said.
Therefore he expressed hope that China–Lesotho relations will continue to advance with the same strength, speed, and vitality symbolized by the horse, and with the strong support and cooperation of their friends in Lesotho, to achieve even greater success in the year ahead.
On the other hand, he indicated that China and Africa share profound similarities saying China is the largest developing country in terms of population, while Africa is the continent with the largest number of developing countries.
He said they share similar historical experiences, face common development challenges and pursue the same goal of modernization. “We also share a common vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity. Against the current complex international landscape, this partnership is more important than ever”, he stressed.
He further indicated that while some countries are increasingly preoccupied with their own regional concerns and even impose coercive tariff measures on African countries, China remains a steadfast and reliable friend of Africa.
He cited that China has announced zero-tariff treatment for African countries, demonstrating their concrete support for Africa’s development.
“Africa matters to China, because African countries are our true and trusted friends”, he emphasised.
Lesotho and China have maintained official bilateral relations for over 30 years, officially resuming their diplomatic ties on January 12, 1994 following an intial 1983 establishment and a brieg interruption.
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