EYUEL KIFLU
In span of few months, there have been strings of high level visits by Chinese officials to Ethiopia. This week, Chinese Special envoy to the Horn of Africa, Xue Bing, stopped in Addis Ababa to hold talks with leaders of Ethiopia. The special envoy pledged his country’s resolve to back Ethiopia’s post war rehabilitation effort and commitment to independently and peacefully resolve its predicaments.
In a presser held during his visit, Xue stressed that his country has no self-interest in the Horn of Africa (HoA), or any other region in the world and it respects the freedom of people in various regions and countries as the masters of their own and oppose geopolitical competition by external forces.
“China always supports the people in the HoA in independently exploring their development paths and supports regional countries in resolving differences through dialogue and consultation,” he reiterated.
In fact, prior to Cheng’s visits, Chinese newly appointed Foreign Minister Qin Gang arrived in Ethiopia as per of his first official visit to Africa. The strings of visits speak volume about the increased partnership between the two sides.
More to the point, Beijing has been a strong ally to Addis Ababa in fending off external intervention directed at the latter in relation with the conflict in the northern part of the country. China has been sharp critic of interventionist policies in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The country also categorically made it clear time and time again that the conflict in Ethiopia was purely an internal affair and stood firm to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the latter.
Beijing has also been strong proponent of African solution to Africa’s problems with the country supporting the continent’s quest for permanent seat at UNSC. These specific instances are only tip of the iceberg in the elevated ties between both countries.
In what could be said another millstone in the two countries’ five decades cooperation, Chine lately opened Visa Application Center in Addis Ababa. The center expected to step up the people to people exchanges by easing traveling difficulties and offering better services.
The people-to-people engagement and flow of people are rising from both sides. So, the embassy was no longer giving services in efficient level, but the center would be a vital means to meet the growing demand, so said Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia, Zhao Zhiyuan in his inaugural speech of the center.
The start of this service would tackle visa-related problems, and it may also contribute to high-quality service. The center, which is established in collaboration with CYTS (China Youth Travel Service) Tours Company and with assistance from the Ethiopian government, is thus instrumental to improve the visa service system, which may increase the countries cultural, economic, and technological exchange.
Both nations are trying to expand their economic and public diplomacy in cultural diplomacy. The commencement of the center may bring the countries relations to a new height in different sectors. It provides a better service to Ethiopian people who want to learn, trade, and participate in other activities in China, the ambassador added.
“The center, apart from facilitating the routine visa requests by different types of travelers, is expected to play a significant role in enhancing the ever-growing people-to-people relations between the two sisterly countries. As visa centers are the first window to create a lasting impression on travelers, I hope the center will play its valuable role in introducing the beautiful Chinese culture to travelers from every walk of life,” stated Samuel Fitsumbirhan director of the Asian Pacific Division at the Ethiopian MoFA.
The center will contribute to the two countries bilateral ties at their peak. Similarly, both nations are enjoying a growing trade relation with mutual trust, and share aspirations for people-centered prosperity with a common destiny of all-round progress for their people. This shows the strengthening of their bond Samuel added.
Moreover, as the center is beginning its service in the wake of China’s opening up after the COVID-19 pandemic, it will provide efficient service for the travelers who were unable to have their application processed due the impacts of the pandemic. He added that the center will also benefit Ethiopian Airlines, the only African airline flying to five destinations in China.
Besides, the application center is expected to bolster tourism sectors in both countries. The tourism interaction between both countries is growing, especially in the last ten years. Ethiopia recorded around $37.2 million in revenue from 9,925 Chinese visitors in 2020, according to the Ethiopian Ministry of Culture and Tourism. China is the second-largest source of visitors to Ethiopia after the United States. Most visitors come to Ethiopia for investment, vacation, and other purposes.
Speaking at the occasion, Ethiopia’s State Minister of Tourism, Sileshi Girma, said Ethiopia and China share a similar history and civilization. Chinese are the greatest partners and investors in Ethiopia. In the tourism sector, Chinese investors play a significant role in hotel tourism.
The infrastructures that were built with the collaboration of the Chinese government, especially in road construction, also contributed to the country’s tourism development, he said adding that the road and the hotels that were built by Chinese investors make it easy for visitors to stay in Ethiopia and to travel around the country.
“People can easily take transportation to reach the major tourist spots. If people want to reach the World Heritage sites in the southern Omo Valley, they can easily take the expressway through Adama or Awassa. So this infrastructure development supports the collaboration work in training the Chinese language and expanding tourism and hospitality investment, particularly in hotels and restaurants. And the collaboration in working to improve international openness through opening the visa center will help us a lot to develop the tourism sector”, Sileshi noted.
He also disclosed the decision that the Chinese president made in 2015. China as a country chose close to five countries to be the top priorities for Chinese visitors, and one was Ethiopia. “We knew that Ethiopia is still a preferred destination for Chinese travelers. Also, the country has endowments from its history, rich culture, and national parks, including wild and endemic animals. So Ethiopia has always been a preferred travel destination for Chinese visitors”, he remarked.
The establishment of the center would make things easy for the visitors. It paves the way for increased partnership. This scales up exchange of culture among the two countries.
The Ethiopian Herald March 18/2023
