Chen Mingjian, the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the United Republic of Tanzania started her diplomatic career in Tanzania on October 2, 2021.
Ambassador Chen is an outstanding female Chinese diplomat with diversified professional experiences. Before being the Ambassador to Tanzania, Chen was the Chinese Minister-Counselor and Minister to Canada.
Chen received a Master’s degree in International Politics from Peking University in 1991. Besides, Chen has been working for various departments belonging to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China.
Also, she has working experience in Chinese Embassies in Israel and Egypt. With a such superb profile, Chen has contributed a lot to China-Tanzania relations with her colleagues and Tanzanian counterparts.
Although Ambassador Chen just took office in Tanzania 7 months ago, her work for bilateral relations has already covered various fields.
Contributing to People-to-people Exchange and Public Diplomacy
On December 18, 2021, Chen met with Joyce Ndalichako, the current Minister for Education and Technology of Tanzania. Both sides agreed to promote comprehensive cooperation in education, science, technology, and vocational training.
Moreover, Chen said the Tanzanian government’s decision to include Chinese in the college entrance examination has great significance. Simultaneously, Joyce spoke highly of Confucius Institutes in Tanzania.
Furthermore, to promote Chinese learning in Tanzania, Chen also attended the United Nations Chinese Language Day celebration on April 19, 2022.
Representatives of Tanzanian students who are studying Chinese also joined the event. Ambassador Chen expressed her hope to see more aspiring young Tanzanians learn the Chinese language.
Besides Chinese learning, Chen had a meeting with Mohamed Omary Mchengerwa, Minister of Culture, Arts and Sports on February 4, 2022.
Both sides announced to work together on the flagship project named “Focus on Africa: China New Year in Tanzania”. The project has been held for 13 years and has contributed a lot to people-to-people exchange between China and Tanzania.
Also, to celebrate the 2022 Chinese New Year, the Embassy launched a series of online “Happy Chinese New Year” programs. Both overseas Chinese in Tanzania and local Tanzanian people were highly engaged in these programs.
Working with International Organizations in Tanzania
On March 30, 2022, Chen had a meeting with Mahoua Parums, the UNHCR Representative in Tanzania. Both sides praise China and UNHCR’s work and looked forward to furthering cooperation.
Likewise, Ambassador Chen met with the representative of the World Food Program (WFP) in Tanzania, Sarah Gordon-Gibson on February 10, 2022. Agriculture has always been a key area of cooperation between China and Tanzania.
Meanwhile, WFP has worked in Tanzania with several projects including market support to small farmers, student canteens, and nutrition support programs. Both sides agreed to work together further in the future.
Earlier this year, on February 7, Chen met with the UN Resident Coordinator in Tanzania, Milišić. Ambassador Chen said the Chinese Embassy always stands ready to strengthen communication and cooperation with the UN agencies in Tanzania.
She looked forward to jointly contributing to economic and social development in Tanzania with the UN. At the same time, Milišić spoke highly of China’s work in Tanzania and would like to cooperate more with Chinese stakeholders.
Promoting Diplomatic Relations between China and Tanzania
Ambassador Chen has been working on China-Tanzania diplomatic relations since she started her work in Tanzania. To promote mutual trust and understanding, Chen has published several articles in both Chinese and Tanzanian official mainstream newspapers.
She mainly introduced China’s foreign policy in Tanzania and reviewed bilateral friendship from different perspectives. Through her articles, Chen expressed her warm wishes and confidence in China-Tanzania relations in the future.
For instance, on November 15, 2021, before the 8th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), Chen wrote an article named FOCAC Continuously Promotes the Growth of China-Tanzania Cooperation in Depth, Substance.
Her article was published in Daily News, Tanzania’s national government newspaper, and The Citizen, another preferred daily English newspaper in Tanzania.
Also, on April 18, 2022, as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues to ferment, Chen had a written interview with The Citizen. She introduced the achievements of China-Tanzania’s practical cooperation and frankly explained China’s position on the Ukraine issue.
As an outstanding Chinese Ambassador, Chen Mingjian’s work in Tanzania is varied and meaningful. Since Chen just started her career in Tanzania 7 months ago.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of various ambassadors and diplomats, China and Tanzania have always maintained friendly relations.
After the 58th anniversary of the bilateral relation, the China-Tanzania friendship is moving into a new era with more opportunities and mutual benefits.
