DgcityChina and Gabon formally elevated their bilateral relationship on Friday, declaring a community with a shared future for the new era after talks between President Xi Jinping and Gabonese President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
The upgrade is the highest tier of partnership China extends to an African country and marks a rapid advance in ties since Nguema took office in May 2025 following a military takeover and subsequent political transition. His five-day state visit, his first to China as president, began in Shanghai, where he attended the ninth China International Import Expo.
Xi described the relationship as rock-solid and said China would support Gabon’s autonomy in politics, the economy and diplomacy. He urged deeper alignment between the two countries’ development plans and pointed to Beijing’s zero-tariff policy for African goods and a green channel for African agricultural and food products as practical openings for Gabonese exporters.
The two sides signed documents covering the Global Security Initiative, zero-tariff arrangements, industrial and supply-chain cooperation and Chinese-language education. They also signed a memorandum concluding negotiations on an early harvest under a joint development and economic partnership agreement, covering tariff concessions on goods, rules of origin and implementation procedures. A full joint statement on the new community of shared future was released.
Gabon, a small oil- and timber-producing nation on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, has had diplomatic relations with China since 1974. Chinese-built roads, hospitals and the national friendship stadium in Libreville are among the best-known landmarks of the relationship. During his visit Nguema also met Premier Li Qiang and Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee.
Nguema said Gabon would continue to adhere firmly to the one-China principle and welcomed more Chinese companies to invest in his country’s industrialization. He called the zero-tariff policy historically significant for African nations seeking access to the Chinese market.
Gabonese officials are particularly focused on moving beyond the export of raw materials. A Gabonese think tank has prepared a cooperation white paper listing two dozen priority projects, including timber processing, a steel complex, fish and agricultural processing, railway expansion, deep-water port development and vocational training, all aimed at keeping more of the value of the country’s exports inside Gabon. Chinese officials have said they are open to the proposals, which would be considered alongside Gabon’s national development plan running through 2030.
