China’s Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa Visits Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA – China’s Special envoy to the horn of Africa, Xue Bing, is on an official visit to Ethiopia weeks after his appointment.

China announced the appointment of Bing, a senior diplomat, to the newly created post of special envoy for the Horn of Africa on February 22, 2022.

On his first day in Addis Ababa on Monday, he met with Demeke Mekonnen, Ethiopia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, during which Demeke applauded the long-standing relationship between the two countries and China’s multifaceted support to Ethiopia.

The meeting between the two has touched up on various regional and bilateral issues, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Deputy PM mentioned China’s support in multilateral fora that helped Ethiopia thwart threats to its sovereignty and territorial integrity, says the statement the Ministry issued after the meeting.

China’s constructive position on the GERD favoring the principle of African Solution to African Problems and all the COVID-19 related supports are also commendable, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister added.

Appreciating China’s commitment to development on the African continent, Demeke requested expedited approval of Ethiopia’s projects which were submitted under the FOCAC framework.

He also briefed Being on the encouraging decisions taken by the government to ensure peace in the country and Ethiopia’s commitment to resolving its border issue with Sudan in a peaceful manner.

Special Envoy Bing, on his part, spoke about the Initiative for Peaceful Development in the Horn of Africa that was proposed during China’s foreign minister and State Councilor Wang Yi’s visit to Africa.

China wants to support countries in the Horn to address the challenges of security, development, and governance and pursue a path of unity and self-improvement, said the envoy.

He mentioned efforts to enhance railway and port developments in the region, commitments to the Belt and Road Initiative, and the FOCAC agreements to accelerate regional revitalization through development.

In connection with this, the Special Envoy underscored that Ethiopia should play a constructive role in promoting peace in the Horn of Africa as it is an anchor state in the region.

Ethiopia and China elevated their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership in May 2017.