On the morning of December 15, 2003, visiting Premier Wen Jiabao held talks with Ethiopian Primer Minister Meles Zenawi at the National Palace in Ethiopia in a cordial and friendly atmosphere and reached a broad scope of consensus.

 

Meles warmly praised the important results achieved in the Ethiopia-China cooperation in political and economic fields, holding that bilateral relations are entering a new stage featuring all-around development. He noted that Ethiopia earnestly aspires to further expand bilateral cooperation and actively implement the follow-up actions of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. He stressed in particular that he is fully confident with the future of Ethiopia-China all-around friendly cooperation.

 

Wen positively evaluated the rapid development of China-Ethiopia relations in the past 33 years since the two countries established diplomatic relationship. He also thanked the Ethiopian government for its long-term commitment to the One China policy and the support offered to China on such issues as human rights. Wen said the Chinese government attaches high importance to developing China-Ethiopia relations. To further promote the all-around cooperative partnership between the two countries, Wen raised several proposals, first, maintain high-level exchanges, increase mutual trust, and jointly push forward cooperation in various fields; second, expand the fields of cooperation and upgrade efficiency and benefit of cooperation, with the mutually beneficial cooperation focused on agriculture, human-resources tapping, infrastructure building and tourism; third, strengthen consultation and cooperation, jointly safeguard the rights and interests of developing countries and vigorously promote the establishment of a just and reasonable international political and economic new order.

 

On the African situation and China-Africa cooperation, Wen pointed out that the founding of the African Union and the gradual implementation of the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) are a sign that the political and economic integration has entered into a new phase. The Chinese side appreciates the positive role Ethiopia has played as one of the initiators in this process. Wen said that the Forum on China-African Cooperation, as a new platform for the cooperation between China and African countries, is injecting new vigor to the China-African relations. Under the concerted efforts of China, Ethiopia and other friendly African countries, the new partnership raised by the Forum and the aim of achieving common prosperity will  definitely come true.

 

Meles said that the three proposals raised by the Chinese side to further develop bilateral friendly relations is a full embodiment of the importance China attaches to the Ethiopia-China relations, which they totally agree with. As mentioned in the proposals, agriculture, human resources tapping and infrastructure building are the key fields of Ethiopia's economic development in the time being, and Ethiopia welcomes more Chinese enterprises to take part. He said that Ethiopia and China share identical views on international affairs and both maintain every country has its own right to decide its developing path. Meles noted that the establishment of the African Union and NEPAD are major steps for the strengthening of cooperation among African countries. To realize the integration of infrastructure construction in African countries is one of the key issues under discussion within the above-mentioned framework and Ethiopia welcomes an active role of the Forum on China-African Cooperation.

 

After the talks, the two prime ministers attended the signing ceremony of three documents on bilateral cooperation including one on economic and technological cooperation.

 

Before the talks, Meles held a ceremony at the National Palace Plaza to welcome Wen to pay an official visit to his country. Wen inspected Ethiopian Guard of Honor after the military band played Chinese and Ethiopian national anthems.

 

Wen arrived at the Ethiopia at 22:30, December 14, 2003. He issued a written statement at the airport, noting under the new situation of the 21^st century, China and Africa are faced up with the hard tasks of promoting peace and expedite development. To strengthen friendly exchanges, to establish a new partnership based on long-term and stable, equal and mutually beneficial, all-around cooperation is a shared aspiration of both Chinese and African peoples.