Your Excellency, Mr. Berhane Dedressa, Mayor of Addis Ababa,

Dr.Woubshet Berhanu, City General Manager,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my great honor to attend the signing ceremony of the construction contract for Gotera interchange project. I would like, on behalf of the Chinese Embassy, to extend to you my warmest congratulations and best wishes. I would also commend the marvelous efforts made by the two sides, particularly Addis Ababa Roads Authority and Shanghai Construction Group, who directly contribute to the birth of the agreement.

The Gotera project is unique. It will be the first flyover in Addis, the first flyover in Ethiopia, and the first flyover that China helps to build in Africa. The Gotera project is also unique in its birth time, when the lights of Ethiopian Millennium beam across the country and the China-Africa cooperation ushers in a new era.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is hard to talk about our great project without mentioning our great bilateral relations. Just five days ago in Beijing, H.E. Ato Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of Ethiopia, and H.E. Mr.Hu Jintao, President of China, co-hosted the Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. At the epoch-making event, the leadership of 48 African counties and China reviewed their half a century of friendship and looked into a new type of strategic partnership. The Beijing Declaration and the Beijing Plan of Action, adopted at the Summit and announced by those including your Prime Minister, pinpoint the specific initiatives that we shall take in the future.

China, as a true friend of Ethiopia, is committed to rendering support for your development programs. During the parallel bilateral talks in Beijing, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao pledged further financial assistance for your development projects and the duty-free treatment on additional Ethiopian products. Our assistance is limited, but genuine and selfless.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Infrastructure is the foundation of nation-building. Inadequate transport facilities have enormous impacts on trade, investment, urban life and even political image. Therefore, infrastructural improvement is set to be one of the pillars of Chinese cooperation with Ethiopia. The past years has witnessed the successful construction of the Addis Ring Road, the TVET College Building and the Friendship Avenue.

What's impressing to me, is not only the magnificence they add to the city, the convenience they bring to the people, but also the catalytic role they play in turning the neighboring wild land into prosperous commercial quarters.

Today, we have concluded another historic contract on a historic project. Serving as a hub of transport network, the landmark Gotera project will infuse additional vitality into Addis Ababa and bring tangible benefits to its three million residents. Against the backdrops of the FOCAC Summit, it is a significant step to convert words into deeds, a warmhearted gift from Chinese people to their Ethiopian brothers and sisters.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my conviction, that with expertise and experience of Chinese engineers and cooperation and support of Ethiopian counterparts, the Gotera interchange will be built into a flyover of friendship and a flyover of Millennium.

I wish you every success in the construction process.

Thank you.