The Belt and Road Initiative (BRT), a Chinese project launched across the world three years ago has become successful in Ethiopia with railway projects went operational, the Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopian, La Yifan said in forum held today.
The forum was attended by diplomats and higher officials from the government of Ethiopia.
The initiative is a development strategy and framework, proposed President Xi Jinping in 2013 that promote connectivity and cooperation of China with the rest of the world.
“The initiative is proposed to promote cooperation in the making of economic policies, infrastructure connection and people to people relation,” said La Yifan.
He said that China has taken a stance that it has role in the development of the African countries including in Ethiopia as it consider Africa as a means to balance the influence it has been facing from the western countries.
According to him, Ethiopian is an active participant of the initiative, which has enabled it to improve railway connection across the country with recently inaugurated Addis Ababa -Djibouti railways line.
In the coming May, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn will go to Beijing for conference, which will deliberate on the outcomes of the initiative and on how it will better create connectivity on road and ocean between China and participating countries.
Head of foreign policy analiyst with Foreign Relation Strategic Studies Institute of Ethiopia, Melaku Mulualem on his part said that the initiative will help Ethiopian accelerate the development of road and railways.
He said that the policy coordination and revision, which the initiative has been advocating could bring sustainable development for Ethiopia.
According to him, the initiative will absorb quite large number of unemployed population in the country.