Forty years of diplomatic relations between Ethiopia and China
Wednesday 24th November marked the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Ethiopia and the People’s Republic of China. It was celebrated in Addis Ababa by a banquet at the Ghion Hotel attended by President Girma Wolde Giorghis, marking the end of a week of activities underlining the significance of the occasion. Also present were Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ato Hailemariam Desalegn, Mr. Gu Xiaojie, the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Chinese diplomats and heads of Chinese companies and institutions in Ethiopia as well as senior government officials.
In an exchange of messages with President Hu Jintao of the People’s Republic of China, President Girma extended the congratulations and best wishes of the Government and people of Ethiopia to the Government and people of China. He said the Government of Ethiopia cherished their long-standing and friendly cooperation and would take the opportunity of this anniversary to further consolidate and develop, intensify and expand their mutually beneficial cooperation for the benefit of both countries and peoples. Ethiopia, President Girma said, is very appreciative of China’s stance on development cooperation towards Africa, from which many countries including Ethiopia had benefited. Ethiopia was making great headway in its development efforts and attached high importance to forging an enhanced partnership with China for its ambitious five year Growth and Transformation Plan. President Girma assured President Hu that Ethiopia was ready to do its best to further strengthen existing relations for the mutual benefit of both countries.
In his message to President Girma, President Hu extended, on behalf of the Government and people of China, warmest congratulations and best wishes to the Government and people of Ethiopia. Noting that their bilateral relationship had withstood the test of time in both international and domestic situations, he said that in this new century the two countries had set up an all-round cooperative partnership on the basis of equality and mutual trust, resulting in expanding bilateral trade, reciprocal investment and fruitful cooperation in the fields of culture, education and health. President Hu said their cooperation under the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation could serve as a model for South-South Cooperation. China appreciated and thanked the Ethiopian Government for its firm commitment to the One-China principle and its precious support for issues concerning the core interests of China. It looked to further deepen the traditional friendship, enhance all-round exchanges and co-operation and jointly promote Sino-Ethiopia cooperation and the new type of strategic partnership between China and Africa.
Following the exchange of Presidential messages, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ato Hailemariam Desalegn, underlined the significance of the occasion and of the deep-rooted relationship between Ethiopia and China. Ethiopia, he said, had had longer links with some countries, but the relationship with China was so diverse and all-round that the impact had provided mutual satisfaction to both sides. He spoke of the many important exchanges of visits among high government officials and legislators, the signing of various agreements, the steady growth in trade and of Chinese investment in Ethiopia providing jobs as well as the transfer of technological expertise, all of which had contributed to the consolidation of ties. He described China as a true and reliable friend playing a pivotal role in Ethiopia’s effort to mitigate poverty, and noted that its assistance would allow Ethiopia to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. What made the relationship special was that China enabled Ethiopia to own its economic development strategy by its adherence to the principles of mutual respect, non-interference in the internal affairs of each other’s countries, peaceful coexistence and by the non-existence of conditionality and commitment to a win-win mutual benefit. Ato Hailemariam emphasized that the past forty years of fruitful engagement paved the way for continuing meaningful cooperation for many years to come, and promised that Ethiopia would never forget the generosity and good will of China.
In reply, Ambassador Gu noted that relations had developed in a sound and profound manner especially after 1991, and in the new century both countries had set up an all-round cooperative partnership on the basis of equality and mutual trust. China had become one of Ethiopia’s most important trade partners, with the bilateral trade volume increasing by 25% in the first eight months of this year compared to the same period in 2009. More and more Ethiopian enterprises were benefiting from China’s zero tariff treatment and Ambassador Gu noted the “active participation and spectacular performance” of Ethiopia at the Shanghai World Expo 2010. 2010 is a year of great significance for Ethiopia, he said: the free and fair elections in May, the seven years of double-digit growth and the new government would pave the way for the implementation of the Growth and Transformation Plan and open a new chapter for Ethiopian development and renewal. Ambassador Gu said China and Ethiopia were both developing countries and both were experiencing their fastest periods of development. Their economies were highly complementary; their peoples were good friends, good brothers, good partners. Over the past forty years, the relationship between China and Ethiopia had achieved great results and brought a lot of tangible benefits. Looking to the future, there was even greater potential for mutually beneficial cooperation. China cherished its friendship with Ethiopia and was ready to work for the further development of all-round and pragmatic cooperation for truly win-win results.