That State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi kicked off his first foreign trip in 2022 by visiting Kenya, Eritrea, the Comoros in Africa and two South Asian countries the Maldives and Sri Lanka, from Jan 4 to 8 sends a clear message that China attaches great importance to its relations with developing countries.

The African continent has been the first port of call for Chinese foreign ministers every year for the past 32 consecutive years, which is testament to China's special concern for the economic development and social progress of the continent, home to the largest cluster of developing nations.

Just as foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a news conference on Dec 30, such an arrangement has become a tradition, which epitomizes the traditional friendship between China and African countries.

Political trust underlines this traditional friendship.

China means what it says when it comes to the economic aid and cooperation between China and African countries.

It is China that has provided African countries with most of the vaccines and other materials they need to fight the novel coronavirus. And it is medical teams from China that have helped African countries with their fight against the pandemic.

It is also China that has helped African countries with their construction of infrastructure by providing funds and technologies as well as construction teams.

The cooperation between China and African countries is based on equality and mutual benefits, with no political strings attached.

That explains why African countries trust China and can expect much from it when it comes to the aid they need for economic and social development.

The same is true of the two South Asian countries Wang is visiting.

China, as the largest developing country, has the same political appeal in international relations and global governance as the developing countries in Africa and other parts of the world.

The developing countries seek reform of the global governance system that currently favors the Western powers and prioritizes the developed countries' interests at the expense of those of the developing countries.

Although it has developed rapidly to become the world's second-largest economy, China stands firm with other developing countries in pushing for reform of the United Nations for a more fair and just international order and the World Trade Organization for a fairer trade system under which all countries can enjoy the same opportunities for development.

No matter what happens globally, China will not waver in its resolve to realize a better shared future for developing countries as part of its efforts to promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.