On the afternoon of May 4 (local time), Premier Li Keqiang met Ethiopia’s Premier Minister Hailemariam Desalegn in Addis Ababa.

   Li Keqiang expressed that China and Ethiopia enjoy profound traditional friendship; the bilateral relationship develops smoothly; cooperation in each field is deepening; China-Ethiopia friendship has kept in two peoples’ mind. When you visited China last year, President Xi Jinping met you and both sides made joint efforts to achieve fruitful results in the cooperation in various fields. I hope my visit would further consolidate China-Ethiopia traditional friendship and promote China-Ethiopia and China-Africa relations to accomplish a new development.

    Li Keqiang spoke highly of achievements that Ethiopia has made for economic and social development in recent years, and pointed out that further strengthening China-Ethiopia friendly cooperation accords with both sides’ basic and long-term interests. China is willing to work with Ethiopia to keep a close and high-level communication and consolidate the politically mutual trust; expand the mutually beneficial cooperation of light railway and highway by taking infrastructure construction and energy resource development as the key points. China supports Ethiopia’s effort to build the special economic zones and industrial parks and is willing to share experience with Ethiopia without any reservation, transfer the appropriate and advantageous industries and technologies to Ethiopia, and enlarge the cooperation of manufacturing, light industry and other fields. China will go on encouraging Chinese enterprises and financial institutions to take an active part in Ethiopia’s domestic development, and upgrade the practical cooperation. I hope Ethiopia would provide Chinese enterprises with better business environment and convenience. China is willing to work with Ethiopia to enhance the exchange and cooperation in culture, education, health care, science and technology, tourism and other fields, closely communicate and coordinate with each other in respect of major international and regional hot issues, and jointly maintain the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries. 

    Hailemariam, on behalf of the Ethiopian Government and people, gave Premier Li Keqiang a warm welcome, and expressed that it’s his honor that Premier Li Keqiang chose Ethiopia as the first station of his visit to Africa. He said Ethiopia and China have performed the cooperation in all respects, strongly promoting Ethiopia’s economic growth and transition. Ethiopia thanks China for its long-term, sincere and selfless help, and is willing to work with China to strengthen the close and high-level communication, jointly formulate a long-term strategic plan for bilateral cooperation, welcome more Chinese enterprises to invest in Ethiopia, and provide them with more convenience. African countries are willing to perform much closer cooperation with China under China-Africa cooperation and other frameworks and make joint efforts to play a more active role in international and regional affairs.

After the talks, both prime ministers witnessed the signing of the bilateral cooperative agreements in areas such as economy, technology, industry, infrastructure, finance, etc., and met the journalists.

    Li Keqiang briefed the outcomes of the talks between the two Premiers. He expressed that China-Ethiopia relations and China-Africa relations are moving ahead along the right track. First, both sides enjoy a relationship of common destiny, with mutual support and equality always in the course of national liberation and national construction. China supports Africa to become an important polar in the world pattern. Second, both sides enjoy a relationship of common development. China is the largest developing country in the world, while Africa is the continent with the largest number of developing countries in the world. Through the strengthening of unity and cooperation, the two sides can realize mutual benefit and win-win results, and also help facilitating the balance and inclusive growth of the world economy. Third, both sides enjoy a relationship of mutual learning between civilizations. Both China and Africa boast time-honoured civilization and splendid culture. Mutual respect and mutual learning between different civilizations are conducive to the civilization diversity and multi-polarization of the world. China is willing to make joint efforts with African countries including Ethiopia to accelerate this high speed train of China-Africa relations, bringing benefits to China, Africa and the world at large.

    Hailemariam expressed that Africa and China constitute a community of destiny. Having always been established on the basis of mutual trust, mutual understanding, equality and mutual benefit, Ethiopia-China relations and Africa-China relations have yielded fruitful results for cooperation in various fields and enjoyed broad prospects. Strengthening Africa-China cooperation is conducive not only to their own development but also to advancing the world multi-polarization. Premier Li Keqiang’s visits to African countries including Ethiopia will surely push Ethiopia-China relations and Africa-China relations for greater development. The Ethiopian side is willing to learn from China for the development experience, to keep deepening strategic cooperation in political, diplomatic, economic, people-to-people and cultural fields, and to elevate the bilateral comprehensive cooperative partnership to a higher level. (Source: Xinhua)