Ethiopian and Chinese top diplomats hold talks in Beijing

ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen on Thursday held talks with Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang in Beijing.

Deputy Prime Minister Demeke met with Qin on the second day of his five-day official visit to China.

Demeke said that Ethiopia is committed to further strengthening its existing bilateral ties with China.

Beijing is a leading source of Foreign Direct Investment and a trading partner of Ethiopia.

It will continue to have a bigger role in Ethiopia’s future growth, the foreign minister, emphasizing that the Chinese people and government “have proven to be reliable partners” for the continent of Africa as a whole.

His Chinese counterpart Qin has also called Ethiopia a trusted partner, stating his country is “desirous to work with Ethiopia to achieve new progress.”

As Ethiopia is at a crucial juncture of consolidating peace and focusing on development, China firmly supports Ethiopia’s peace process and stands ready to deepen bilateral cooperation in various fields to help with the country’s reconstruction, development, and revitalization, Qin added.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two sides also agreed to work in tandem in multilateral forums to play a constructive role on regional and global matters of mutual concern.

Demeke and Qin later jointly inaugurated Ethiopia’s new embassy and residential building in Beijing.

The new look of the embassy is a concrete demonstration of a step taken to further strengthen Ethiopia’s partnership with China, Demeke said.