By Business Insider Reporter
Tanzania has taken centre stage in China’s renewed diplomatic and economic outreach to East Africa, as Beijing moves to strengthen trade ties, secure critical mineral supply chains and protect key transport corridors amid rising global trade risks.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi (pictured below) this week included Tanzania in his annual New Year tour of Africa, alongside Ethiopia, Somalia and Lesotho – a signal of Dar es Salaam’s growing strategic importance in China’s Africa policy. The visit comes at a time when global trade is becoming more fragmented, US–Africa relations remain strained, and competition among major powers for Africa’s markets and resources is intensifying.
For Tanzania, the visit reinforces a long-standing relationship with China that spans infrastructure, mining, energy and trade. China is already one of Tanzania’s largest trading partners and a major financier and contractor in large-scale projects, from ports and roads to railways and industrial zones.
TAZARA and the race for critical minerals
At the heart of China–Tanzania relations is infrastructure – particularly the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA), a historic symbol of Sino-African cooperation. Chinese firms are currently refurbishing and upgrading the Dar es Salaam–Zambia railway line, which provides a vital outlet for copper and other minerals from Zambia’s Copperbelt to the Indian Ocean.
The renewed focus on TAZARA is widely viewed as part of China’s strategy to secure access to critical minerals, especially copper, which is essential for electric vehicles, renewable energy systems and modern manufacturing. The corridor also offers Beijing a strategic alternative to the Lobito Corridor, backed by the US and the European Union, which channels minerals from Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo to Atlantic ports via Angola.
For Tanzania, revitalising TAZARA aligns with its ambition to position Dar es Salaam as a regional logistics hub serving landlocked neighbours, while unlocking new revenues from transit trade, port services and rail freight.
Trade, markets and industrial cooperation
Beyond minerals and transport, China’s engagement with Tanzania reflects a broader push to expand markets and deepen industrial cooperation. Beijing last year extended zero-tariff access to 53 African countries, including Tanzania, a move aimed at boosting African exports to China and reinforcing China’s image as a champion of South–South trade.
Tanzanian exports to China – including agricultural products, minerals and fisheries – stand to benefit from preferential access, while Chinese firms continue to invest in manufacturing, construction and energy projects across the country. Industrial parks, special economic zones and port-linked logistics facilities feature prominently in Tanzania’s long-term development plans, many of which draw on Chinese finance and expertise.
Geopolitics and Tanzania’s balancing act
Wang Yi’s visit also comes against a shifting geopolitical backdrop. US–Africa relations have been unsettled by recent tariff shocks and aid cuts, prompting many African governments to diversify partnerships and hedge against external risks. While Africa’s exports to the US have shown resilience, uncertainty remains.
Tanzania, for its part, has pursued a pragmatic, non-aligned foreign policy – maintaining strong ties with China while also engaging the US, the EU, Gulf states and emerging partners in Asia. Analysts say Dar es Salaam’s value lies in its stability, strategic coastline, and role as a gateway to East and Central Africa. As global competition for resources, corridors and influence intensifies, Tanzania’s inclusion in China’s high-level diplomatic tour underscores its rising status as a key partner in East Africa – and a country whose infrastructure and trade choices will shape regional economic dynamics for decades to come.
