China to Send Three Envoys on Shuttle Visits to the Middle East and the Horn of Africa
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning announced at the regular press conference on November 2, 2026, that three Chinese special envoys and representatives will travel at the same time in early to mid-November on shuttle visits to countries in the Middle East, the Gulf and Red Sea area, and the Horn of Africa. Zhai Jun, the Chinese government's Special Envoy on the Middle East Issue, will visit Iran, Oman and Saudi Arabia. Liu Xianfa, Special Representative of the Chinese Government on African Affairs, will visit Ethiopia, Djibouti and Egypt. Hu Changchun, the Foreign Ministry's Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Affairs, will visit Eritrea.
Asked for more details, Mao said the visits are aimed at implementing President Xi Jinping's initiatives on promoting peace and security in the Middle East and the four principles for constructive participation in resolving African hotspot issues. The envoys' simultaneous shuttle visits are intended to promote dialogue and peace talks, cool tensions and play a constructive role in safeguarding regional peace and stability, she said.
Xinhua's report spelled out the itineraries: Zhai Jun will visit Iran, Oman and Saudi Arabia in early to mid-November; Liu Xianfa will visit Ethiopia, Djibouti and Egypt over the same period; and Hu Changchun will visit Eritrea in early November.
On the same day, President Xi Jinping, holding talks in Beijing with Sultan Haitham of Oman, who was on a state visit to China, said the Middle East and Gulf region should not become an arena for major-power rivalry and geopolitical conflict, and that China has always actively worked to end fighting and promote peace. Oman is one of the countries on Zhai Jun's itinerary.
Related: Follow-up: Xi Jinping holds talks with Sultan Haitham of Oman
Source: Xinhua, November 2, 2026; Chinese Foreign Ministry regular press conference, November 2, 2026.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：中国政府中东问题特使翟隽（右，资料图）。公共领域照片，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Zhai Jun (right), China's Special Envoy on the Middle East Issue, in a file photo. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
