Addis Ababa, August 25, 2022(Walta) – Ethiopia has begun negotiations with its Chinese counterpart to export fruits and meat productions to China market, Ethiopian Ambassador to China, Teshome Toga disclosed.
Following the establishment of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2018, China promised to publish a Report on Chinese Investment in Africa on a regular basis.
Accordingly, China has issued the second report published by China-Africa Business Council (CABC) at a ceremony held in Beijing on Tuesday.
The report, released under the title “Chinese Investment in Africa (2022): China-Africa Cooperation from a Supply Chain Perspective,” reviews the experience of China-Africa investment cooperation and put forward proposals for future cooperation.
This year’s report has featured statistical and research data from diverse sources in addition to the analysis presented on the Chinese-African business cooperation.
It also showcased efforts made by Chinese enterprises in supporting Africa’s supply chain development as well as the challenges faced during the process.
The report provided 32 recommendations for Chinese and African governments as well as enterprises.
Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Teshome said that Ethiopia has been working to strengthen bilateral trade and investment with China.
Noting that the two countries have been enjoying a strong bilateral economic cooperation, the ambassador said Ethiopia is one of the beneficiary countries under the Belt and Road Initiative of China.
The Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway and a significant number of other huge industrial parks are the results of this cooperation, he added.
According to him, Ethiopia is keen to strength its strategic cooperation with China with a view to realizing the economic transformation of the country as it requires technological capability and huge investment, ambassador Toga stressed.
Now, in a bid to boost trade relation with China, Ethiopia has started negotiations with its Chinese counterpart to export meat and fruit productions to the China market, he noted.
The negotiation is being undertaken in line with the step put forwarded by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed that paves the way for Ethiopian Agricultural productions to penetrate into global market, Teshome added.
According to the ambassador, banana, avocado and mango will be the first batch of Ethiopia’s agricultural productions planned to be exported to China after the negotiations and other requirements are settled.
This year’s report was launched in the presence of the Director-General of the Department of African Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, Wu Peng and Permanent Representative of the African Union to China, Rahamtalla M. Osman and ambassadors of Africa countries.
It was indicated during the occasion that due to the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, the Belt and Road Initiative and other government efforts, China and Africa have realized practical cooperation in a wide range of areas, in particular in industrial and supply chain development.