ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome on Tuesday called for strengthened relations with China and four other European and African countries.
Teshome made the call when he received copies of credentials of newly appointed ambassadors of China, Guinea-Bissau, Israel, Italy and The Gambia to Ethiopia, according to the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"Ethiopia wants to open a new chapter in relations with your respective countries," the ministry indicated in a statement issued on Tuesday quoting Teshome as saying.
"Ethiopia is desirous the relations to center more on business and economy, on top of political diplomacy," Teshome told the five incoming ambassadors.
According to the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ambassadors for their part also vowed to cement the ties their respective countries established with Ethiopia, particularly in the areas of trade, agriculture, tourism and investment.
In a recent interview with Xinhua, the newly appointed Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia, Tan Jian, had also hailed the relationship between Ethiopia and China as a role model for the South-South cooperation.
"The relationship between Ethiopia and China is based on comprehensive, strategic and cooperative partnership in all areas and at all levels," he said.
Describing the economic cooperation as the basis, Tan also stressed cooperation in the human resource development sector and the science and technology field.
"The bond between the two peoples is very important and it should be the foundation for the relationship between China and Ethiopia," Tan said.
In the past two decades, Chinese companies have invested close to 4 billion U.S. dollars in Ethiopia. The bilateral trade volume reached 6.37 billion dollars in 2015.
Ethiopian Foreign Affairs Minister, Workneh Gebeyehu, in his recent meeting with Tan also called for strengthening the socioeconomic partnership between the two countries.
