The Ethiopian high-level delegation visit to China was a success as bilateral ties between the countries has reached a climax, Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn said.
According to the premier, Ethiopia is the first country in Africa to enter into a comprehensive strategic partnership with China, the ultimate level of partnership in Chinese foreign relation.
“The relationship between Ethiopia and China and between their peoples is elevated to reach the optimum level and this has a special place in the history of Ethiopian diplomacy”, he said.
China has been working to enhance its bilateral ties with Ethiopia as the Horn of African nation is its gateway to Africa. This has qualified Ethiopia to be a pilot country for Chinese projects in Africa, including the Belt and Road Initiative.
The Belt and Road Forum held in Beijing from May14-15 was aimed at discussing the initiative which envisions creating connectivity in infrastructure, economy and people-to-people exchanges as well as policy cooperation.
The Prime Minister said the consensus reached at the forum will further enhance the Sino-African relations and the development of countries along the Silk and Belt Road.
Commenting on the nature of agreements reached with China, Hailemariam stated that previous cooperation frameworks forced developing countries to fulfill the policy rent seeking role of donors to get assistance and loan. In the case of China, however, a fundamental agreement was reached that the rights of individual countries to introduce their own policies and implement them need to be respected. This makes agreements concluded with the country different from other international accords.
As this initiative encourages the relocation of Chinese manufacturing industries to the Belt and Road countries, the Ethiopian delegation has seized the opportunity to promote Ethiopia’s potentials so as to lure anchor Chinese companies, he added.
In this regard, the visits to the four major provinces of China – Shandong, Fujian, Hunan and Sichuan– were successful, according to the Prime Minister.
During his visit to the provinces, the Premier held talks with well-established Chinese companies and bilateral meetings with provincial leaders to promote Ethiopia’s overall economic performance, investment opportunities and the investment environment.
“We were able to meet with the major companies and most of them have agreed to invest in our country. Above all, each of the four provinces that we visited has pledged to organize their own industrial zones in Ethiopia where their investors operate”, Hailemariam revealed.
In the bilateral discussions, consensus was also reached that the provinces continue to encourage their companies to invest in Ethiopia, particularly in the country’s priority areas. (ENA)