Addis Ababa (Ethiopia Today), May 27, 2023: Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang vowed that his country would invest heavily in the “post-war reconstruction” of Ethiopia.
Ethiopia is a member of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a global infrastructure program in which China offers loans to poor countries meant to be used to pay China to build roads, ports, railways, and other key development projects.
A TPLF attack on a military facility in November 2020 prompted a full-scale attack on the northern Tigray region, home to the Tigrayan ethnic minority that dominates the TPLF and held political power at a national level before Abiy, an ethnic Oromo, took over. Abiy’s government blockaded Tigray, barring critical humanitarian supplies such as potable water and medicine from entering the region.
The Tigray-Ethiopian government war ended with a ceasefire deal cut late last year that has largely remained in place through May.
China’s foreign minister confirmed his country’s interest in capitalizing on reconstruction during a meeting with Ethiopian Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen.
“Ethiopia is in a critical period of consolidating peace and focusing on development,” Qin reportedly said at the meeting, stating that China “is willing to deepen cooperation between the two countries in various fields to help Ethiopia’s post-war reconstruction, development, and revitalization.”
The South China Morning Post reported that Qin specifically promised “more emergency food aid to the Horn of Africa” and funds for “the reconstruction of Ethiopian infrastructure destroyed in the Tigray war.”
The Chinese state-run CGTN network quoted Qin as noting that his first trip abroad as foreign minister, a job he assumed in January, was to Africa.
“And among my destinations, Ethiopia was the first country I visited during the trip. Since we’ve established diplomatic ties for over half a century, the two countries have been supporting each other,” Qin reportedly said, “helping each other, setting an example for unity among developing countries and win-win development.”
Demeke, the Ethiopian foreign minister, also met with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng during his Beijing tour on Friday, the Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency reported on Friday.
“China firmly supports Ethiopia in consolidating unity and peace and realizing economic recovery, Han said,” according to Xinhua, “adding that China stands ready to work with Ethiopia to jointly build a Belt and Road of high quality, expand practical cooperation, and promote people-to-people exchanges.”
Demeke vowed that Ethiopia would “actively participate in the implementation of China’s important initiatives” in exchange.”
