Eritrean Minister of Information Yemane Meskel, in a post on Twitter, said that Mr Wang was received by Foreign Minister Osman Saleh and other senior officials at the Asmara International Airport.

Yemane said Wang will be in the country for two days, and will hold talks with the foreign minister and later with President Isaias Afwerki.

China has stepped up efforts to use Covid-19 vaccine donations to cement its influence in Africa, amid renewed warnings by the US to African partners about the so-called debt trap diplomacy.