Your Excellency Ato. Girma W/Giorgis,
President of Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia,
Your Excellency Ato. Hailemariam Desalegn,
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs
Hon. Ministers and State Ministers,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear friends,
It is my great honor to attend this Dinner to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the People’s Republic of China and the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia organized by the Ministry of Foreign affairs of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Please allow me, on behalf of the Government of the People’s Republic of China, to express deep appreciation to Your Excellency Ato. Girma W/Giorgis, President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia for your strong and committed attention and care for the China-Ethiopia relations. I would also like to express my gratitude to Your Excellency Ato. Hailemariam Desalegn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the FDRE. Your excellent remarks have given us great encouragement and inspiration for further promoting the development of the bilateral relations in the long run.
Excellencies, friends,
China and Ethiopia have enjoyed long-standing friendship. The establishment of diplomatic ties on 24th November 1970 opened a new chapter between our two countries’ relations. Ever since, the bilateral relationship has withstood the tests of changes of both international and domestic situations and developed in a sound and profound manner; especially after the EPRDF came into power in 1991, our relations has experienced the rapidest development period.
Entering the new century, the two sides set up the all-around cooperative partnership on the basis of equality and mutual trust, which has resulted in expanding trade, investment and fruitful cooperation in various sectors such as culture, education and health. We support each other and maintain close coordination in international and regional affairs, and the cooperation between the two sides under the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) could serve as a model for the Sino-Africa Cooperation. The Chinese side appreciates and thanks the Ethiopian Government for its firm commitment to One-China policy and for its precious support on issues concerning the core and fundamental interests of China.
The frequent high level exchanged visits have further strengthened the political foundation of the bilateral cooperation.
China has become one of Ethiopia’s most important trade partners and sources of direct investment. The bilateral trade volume for the first eight months this year is nearly 1.2 billion US dollars, an increase of 25% compared to the same period last year. More and more Ethiopian enterprises are benefiting from the zero tariff treatment by China. China’s involvement in the construction of infrastructures such as transportation, telecommunications, power generation and transmission has made positive contribution to the social and economic development of Ethiopia.
The cooperation in the fields of culture, education, health and human resources is gaining momentum. Addis Ababa Confucius Institute, the first Chinese language institute in Ethiopia has run different courses. The Chinese Government has increased government scholarships to Ethiopian students. The active participation and spectacular performance of Ethiopia in the Shanghai World Expo 2010 left an indelible memory. The 15th Chinese medical team composed of 15 members is working hard in Ethiopian and the construction of Tirunesh-Beijing Hospital is well underway. 163 personnel from the Ethiopian side have attended various seminars, workshops and training courses in China this year.
At the same time, the increasing exchanged visits between the media, academic and civil societies between the two countries help to enhance the understanding at people to people level.
Excellencies, friends,
The year of 2010 is also a year of great significance for Ethiopia and its people. The free, fair and peaceful holding of the 4th general election, the 7 consecutive years of double digit growth of GDP, and the forming of the new government will pave the way for the successful implementation of the Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP), which will open a new chapter for Ethiopian development and renewal.
Both China and Ethiopia are developing countries and are experiencing the fastest developing period of their histories. Our two peoples are good friends, good brothers and good partners. The economies of the two countries are highly complementary. Looking back, the 40 years’ relationship between our two countries has achieved great results and brought a lot of tangible benefits to both countries. Looking into the future, there will be even greater space and potential for our mutually beneficial cooperation. The Chinese side cherishes the friendship with Ethiopia and is ready to work with Ethiopian side in its efforts to implement the Growth and Transformation Plan and further develop our all around and pragmatic cooperation for truly win-win results.
Thank you.