BEIJING, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Ethiopia, Somalia, Tanzania and Lesotho upon invitation from January 7 to 12, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, will attend the launching ceremony of the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges at the African Union (AU) headquarters, said the spokesperson.

The visit will mark the 36th consecutive year for Africa to be the destination of the Chinese Foreign Minister's first overseas trip of the year, the spokesperson added.