Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) met and conferred with President of the New Development Bank, Dilma Rousseff on the sidelines of the 3rd Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing.
Recall that the Prime Minister, alongside his ministerial delegation, is in China for an official state visit and to attend the third BRI forum.
Addressing the opening session of the 3rd BRI forum, PM Abiy shared the genesis of Sino-African relations and the strong basis for cooperation set by the BRI in infrastructure development within the African continent.
He further highlighted Africa’s growing influence citing the importance of ensuring multilateralism is inclusive.
On October 17, the Prime Minister also held a bilateral discussion with President Xi Jinping on Tuesday morning at the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, together with their respective delegations where the two leaders announced the elevation of their bilateral ties to an all-weather strategic partnership.
During the bilateral meeting, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed indicated the importance of Chinese investments in Ethiopia’s economy and encouraged more investments into the five key pillars of agriculture, manufacturing, ICT, mining, and Tourism.
China continues to be a critical partner for Ethiopia, he emphasized while expressing his gratitude to President Xi Jinping for the warm welcome and the fruitful discussion.
For his part, President Xi congratulated Prime Minister Abiy on Ethiopia’s accession to BRICS and announced the elevation of partnership between the two countries from from Comprehensive and Enduring Strategic Cooperative Partnership level to an All Weather Strategic Cooperation Partnership level.
He further commended Ethiopia’s achievements through the Green Legacy program citing its alignment with China’s green development policy and affirmed it will be an integral part of a green belt and road program, according to the Office of the Prime Minister.
As a demonstration of the latest announcement by the two leaders, the Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Chinese pharmaceutical and agro-processing enterprises. Three of the firms that inked the MoU are all set to invest in Ethiopia, according to the Chief Commissioner.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed at the Ethiopia-China Investment Forum Series–Beijing Episode II, which was held on the premises of the Ethiopian Embassy in Beijing. Ethiopian Ministers from Finance, Mining, Investment Commissioners, and other pertinent stakeholders were present at the event. More than 300 representatives of invited Chinese business companies were briefed on the opportunities Ethiopia has in the different sectors of the economy.
Source: FBC
