President Xi Jinping Proposes Advancing China-Ethiopia Ties

President Xi Jinping of China (R) and Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn of Ethiopia (L)

BEIJING, China (Xinhua)–Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday (May 12) called on China and Ethiopia to elevate bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation.

Xi Jinping made the remarks while meeting with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn who is in Beijing to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation scheduled for May 14 and 15.

Xi Jinping said the cooperation between China and Ethiopia plays a leading role in China-Africa cooperation.

He proposed the upgrading of bilateral ties to reflect the “strategic aspect and the high level of political mutual trust of the bilateral relations”.

Xi asked the two countries to promote cooperation in such areas as connectivity, production capacity, trade and economy, people-to-people exchanges, as well as aviation.

He said China welcomes Ethiopia’s participation in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and supports its role as a bridge between the Belt and Road Initiative and Africa’s development.

RELATED: Will China’s Belt and Road Initiative Benefit Ethiopia’s Economic Growth?

China is willing to deepen all-round cooperation with Ethiopia, a highly influential nation in Africa, in the process of implementing the outcomes of the Johannesburg summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and building the Belt and Road, Xi said.

Hailemariam said, Ethiopia and China have achieved significant improvements in cooperation in areas including trade and economy, investment, industrial capacity and infrastructure construction.

The Belt and Road Initiative is a farsighted initiative with global implications, which will promote connectivity and cooperation in trade and investment. Ethiopia will actively join in the construction of the Belt and Road, he said.

Source: Shanghai Daily
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