China, Ethiopia Pledge to Promote Development and Peace in Africa

By Xinhua 

July 22, 2023

Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, met Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen on Friday.

China and Ethiopia are good brothers going through thick and thin, good friends looking out for each other in times of need and good partners seeking common development, Wang said. China stood with the Ethiopian people at the critical moment when Ethiopia was preserving its national peace and stability, and will continue to stand by the side of the Ethiopian people as the East African country enters a new stage of restoring peace and national reconstruction, Wang said. China firmly supports Ethiopia in safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, supports the country in fulfilling its commitment to national solidarity and stability, and supports it in playing a bigger role in regional and international affairs, he added. China is willing to continue strengthening strategic coordination with Ethiopia, deepen pragmatic cooperation in various fields, jointly defend the fundamental interests of the two countries and the common interests of developing countries, and safeguard the basic norms of international relations, Wang said.

Highlighting the enormous potential for cooperation between the two countries, Wang said China is willing to work with Ethiopia to strengthen high-level exchanges and contacts between different departments and at various levels, support well-positioned and creditworthy enterprises to invest in Ethiopia, accelerate the implementation of major cooperation projects, expand bilateral trade, help Ethiopia promote industrialization and agricultural modernization, and enhance its capacity for self-generated development. Wang said it is hoped that Ethiopia will take practical and effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese institutions and personnel in the country. China is willing to work with Ethiopia to jointly implement the Outlook on Peace and Development in the Horn of Africa and support the African people in resolving African issues in the African way. For his part, Mekonnen said that Ethiopia has a long history of developing relations with China and is firmly committed to strengthening cooperation with China at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels.

Ethiopia appreciates China’s help in safeguarding its national security and stability, and expects China to support the country in consolidating peace, carrying out reconstruction and revitalizing its economy, he said. Ethiopia supports the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, which were proposed by China, and is willing to strengthen all-around exchanges between governments, political parties and enterprises, and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in the fields of economy and trade, Mekonnen said. Ethiopia resolutely opposes interference in the internal affairs of developing countries with human rights as a tool, supports participation in collective cooperation among developing countries, and is willing to work with China to implement the Outlook on Peace and Development in the Horn of Africa so as to promote regional peace and prosperity, Mekonnen said.