The 6th China International Import Expo Promotion Conference was held in Addis Ababa, with the aim of strengthening the trade ties between Ethiopia and China. Senior government officials, importers, exporters, and various stakeholders from both countries attended the forum.

During the opening speech, China's ambassador to Ethiopia, Zhao Xuan, highlighted the countries' cooperation in trade and investment, stating that their bilateral trade reached USD 2.7 billion in 2022. The ambassador expressed China’s strong desire to elevate the trade, investment, and economic cooperation of the two countries to a higher level, with Ethiopia being one of China's trading partners. Dagnachew Atenkut, the representative of the Ministry of Trade and Regional Cooperation, on his part, acknowledged the significant growth in trade and bilateral economic cooperation between China and Ethiopia over the last three decades.

It is to be recalled that, Ethiopia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China on February 21, 2023 in Beijing to establish an economic cooperation group which was aimed at enhancing economic and trade relations between the two countries. China also allowed Ethiopia to become a beneficiary of its zero-tariff treatment starting from March 1, 2023. The treatment will allow 98% of items exported from Ethiopia to enter China duty free.

Source (including image): Fana BC
Additional source: 2Merkato Archives