On January 28, 2012, Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, met with Ethiopian President Girma Wolde Giorgis in Addis Ababa.
During the meeting, Jia first extended the warm greetings and good wishes of Chinese President Hu Jintao to Girma. China and Ethiopia, as ancient civilizations, both have a long history and splendid culture. Despite the distance keeping the two countries apart, the hearts of the two peoples are closely linked by their similar historical experiences. "Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 42 years ago, particularly since the establishment of the all-round cooperative partnership in 2003, China and Ethiopia have had frequent high- level exchanges and deepening political mutual trust, and enjoyed ever closer cooperation in international and regional affairs," said Jia. "China appreciates Ethiopia's adherence to the one-China policy and support for China on issues of China's core interests and major concerns," Jia added.
Jia emphasized that China cherishes the traditional friendship with Ethiopia. As a sincere friend, China firmly supports the Ethiopian people's efforts to actively explore a development path suited to their national conditions, and is glad with Ethiopia's sustained rapid economic growth in recent years. Currently, the two countries are facing the same task of building the nation and improving people's livelihood. "China will deepen its traditional friendship with Ethiopia and expand multi-sector exchange and cooperation between the two countries," Jia said.
Girma asked Jia to convey his greetings to President Hu Jintao. He said the Ethiopia-China friendship is built on the firm basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit. Ethiopian people appreciate China for its long-time support and help for Ethiopia's development. Bilateral ties have been developing in an all-round manner. "Ethiopia and China have close exchanges of state leaders, political parties and peoples between the two sides," said Girma. The two countries have cooperated effectively on bilateral and multilateral occasions, especially under the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which promotes the development of Africa-China relationship, making it an example of South-South cooperation. China is a trustworthy friend and partner of Ethiopia, he said, expressing belief that Jia Qinglin's visit will effectively push forward the bilateral friendly cooperative relations.
On the same day, Jia also met with the staff of the Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia, and representatives from Chinese-funded institutions and overseas Chinese.