Ambassador Stresses Need for Elevating China, Ethiopia Relation to New Level

Addis  Ababa, January 25/2020 (ENA) Redoubling joint efforts of China and Ethiopia is required in order to further heighten their multifaceted relations which is in very good shape, China's Ambassador to Ethiopia said.

On this 50^th year anniversary of diplomatic relations between Ethiopia and China, comprehensive strategic cooperation and partnerships in many fields are established and in very good shape, the ambassador stated.

China's Ambassador to Ethiopia, Tan Jian told ENA that Ethiopia and China are supporting each other politically, economically and culturally, all driven by the very foundation of their people-to-people ties.

“Our bilateral relationship is in very good shape. ... We support each other politically in issues that relate to our interests and we support each other economically. It is comprehensive and in so many areas,” he added.

According to Jian, politically, the countries support each other to build mutual trust, cooperate economically in many projects related to trade and investment. Party-to-party and government-to-government relations are strong and the countries work closely in peacekeeping.

The exchange of all-rounded visits has been increasing and the relationship between China and Ethiopia is moving forward, he further stated.

The ambassador said, “the year 2020 is very important for our bilateral relations. I believe it could be a landmark year for our bilateral relations because this year we will celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the starting up of diplomatic relations between our two countries, and I do see a great potential to be tapped in advancing our bilateral relations in so many fields.”

There are great economic potentials that need to be further exploited between the two countries, he underscored.

The ambassador said, “We are thinking of redoubling our efforts especially in fields like trade, investment, tourism and we also want to enhance the people-to-people relationship because this is the very foundation of our bilateral relations. We want to bring our two peoples more close.”

Ethiopia can,  for instance, attract more tourists because it has more than 9 UNESCO inscribed heritages and other historical and natural sites, Jian said, adding that in 2018 alone, about 150 million outbound Chinese tourists traveled out of their country.

“Ethiopian Airlines has five flight destinations in China and every week it is about 40 flights to five Chinese cities. So I do hope this year would mark a kind of water shading of the relations and could usher in a new era, and with a joint effort of our two countries, bilateral relations could be brought into a new height,” he noted.

Moreover, the ambassador said, Belt and Road initiative is helping advance economic cooperation between China and Ethiopia, where various infrastructure projects are finished and planned.