National flag

National emblem

Area: 435,184 sq mi (1,127,127 sq km)

Population (2003 est.): 66,557,553 (growth rate: 2.0%); birth rate: 39.8/1000; infant mortality rate: 103.2/1000; density per sq mi: 153

Capital and largest city (1993 est.): Addis Ababa, 2,200,186

Monetary unit: Birr

Languages: Amharic (official), English, Orominga, Tigrigna, over 70 languages spoken

Ethnicity/race: Oromo 40%, Amhara and Tigrean 32%, Sidamo 9%, Shankella 6%, Somali 6%, Afar 4%, Gurage 2%, other 1%

Religions: Ethiopian Orthodox 35%–40%, Islam 40%–45%, animist 15%–20%, other 5%

Relations with China

A. Review of bilateral political relations

Chinaestablished the diplomatic relations with Ethiopiaon November 24, 1970. After the setting up of the diplomatic relations it has seen an overall good relationship between the two countries. During the period of 1977 ? 1982 the relations of the two countries once went deteriorated. And by and by it came to be normal after 1983. In recent years, the relations between the two countries maintain a healthy and continuous development tendency with ceaseless mutual visits at high levels and increasing intercourse of personnel.

Chinese leaders and officials who visited Ethiopia mainly include: Premier Zhou Enlai (January 30 ? February 1, 1964), Qian Qichen, Vice-premier and minister of foreign affairs (July 1989 and January 1991 in the name of foreign minister, and January 1994), Jiang Zemin, President of the PRC (May 1996), Simayi Aimaiti, Member of the State Council and Chairman of Democratic League Committee (October 1997), Dai Bingguo, Minister of the International Liaison Department of the CPC Central Committee (February 2000) Tang Jiaxuan, Foreign Minister (January 2002) and Xu Jialu, Vice-chairman of the NPC (June 2002) and so on.

Leaders and officials who visited China from Ethiopia mainly include: Haile Selassia, Ethiopian Emperor (October 1971), Berhanu Bareh, Foreign minister (November 1987), Mengistu Haile-Mariam, President (June 1988), Fikre Selassic Wogferess, Prime minister (September 1988, by way of visit), Wollie Chekol, Deputy Prime minister (December 1989 and March 1991), Tesfaye Dimka, Deputy prime minister and concurrently minister of foreign affairs (April 1990), Seyoum Mesfin, Minister of foreign affairs (December 1992, October 2000 for attending the "Beijing Ministerial Meeting 2000 of the Sino-African Cooperation Forum"), Meles Zenawi, Prime minister (October 1995), Kasu Ilala, Deputy prime minister (May 1998, May 2002 in the name of Minister in charge of Infrastructure), Mengistu Hulluka, Minister of Agriculture (July 2000), S. Jarso, Minister of Water Resource (December 2000), Kebede Tadese, Minister of Public Health (April 2002), Worede-wdd Wolde, Minister of State Affairs with the Ministry of Capability Construction (April 2002), Kassu Ilala, Vice-president of Southern Ethiopian People's Democratic

Front and concurrently minister in charge of infrastructure (May 2002), Girma Biru, Minister of Trade and Industry (July 2002) and Gebreab Bernabas, Minister of the State Affairs with Ministry of Federal Affairs (September 2002) and so on.

B. Bilateral economy and trade relations and economic and technological cooperation

The economic and technological cooperation between Chinaand Ethiopiawas started in 1971 and up to now Chinahas already built for Ethiopiathe highway, veterinary station, power station and water-supply projects and so on. The Chinese companies started to take up undertakings there in 1986. Up to the end of 2002, the undertakings contracted by the two parties came to a total value of US$ 710.67 million. The Chinese companies carrying out businesses in Ethiopia mainly include: China Imports and Exports (Group) Corporation for Complete Sets of Equipment, China Highway Bridge Engineering (Group) Corporation, China Water Conservancy & Hydropower Engineering Corporation, China Aviation Technology Exports and Imports Co., China Wanbao Engineering Co., China Construction Corporation, Zhongyuan Petroleum Prospecting Bureau, Jiangxi International Co. and Dalian Jinzhou Textile Group, etc. The bilateral trade between Chinaand Ethiopiawas started in 1956. The year of 2002 saw the total trade value of the two countries reach US$ 100.12 million, of which the Chinese export took up US$ 96.43 million with an import of US$ 3.69 million. The Chinese exports to Ethiopiamainly cover the light industry projects, metal and building materials, mechanic and electric products, and medical and chemical products and so on.

The important agreements signed by both parties are:

Sino-Ethiopian Agreement for Economic and Technological Cooperation (1971, 1988 and 2002);

Sino-Ethiopian Trade Agreement (1971, 1976); Sino-Ethiopian Trade Protocol (1984,1986,1988);

Sino-Ethiopian Agreement for Trade, Economic and Technological Cooperation (1996);

Sino-Ethiopian Agreement for Mutual Promotion and Protection of Investment (1988).

C. Bilateral exchanges and cooperation in the fields of culture, science and technology, education and military affairs

In 1988, the two countries signed an agreement for cultural cooperation and it has seen mutual frequent visits by cultural delegations and performing troupes in the cultural field.

From 1974 to 2002, Chinasent a total of 12 batches of medical team to Ethiopia(suspended during the period of 1980 ? 1985) with each batch consisting of 15 medical personnel. In 2000, the ministries of agriculture and education of the two countries reached agreements for developing vocational education and training. Since June 2001, Chinahas sent batches of teachers for vocational education to be employed by Ethiopiafor the short-or-long-term training of its backbone teachers and students. Now there are 49 teachers specialized in rural vocational education and 23 teachers for urban vocational education doing teaching work in Ethiopia.

Starting from 1988, every year Chinaprovided 10 scholarships for Ethiopian students to study in China, and up to 2002, the Ethiopian students studying in Chinacame to 69 in all.

In June 1994, Tsadkan Gebre Tensay, Ethiopian Chief of the General Staff came to visit China. In November 1996, General Liu Jingsong, Commander of LanzhouMilitary Zone visited Ethiopia. In November 2002, Abadula Gewed, Ethiopian Minister of National Defence visited China.

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