H.E. Worknesh Birru, State Minister, Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, and her delegation met with H.E. Guo Jun, Vice Chairman of the Economic and Social Council of China, Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (C.P.P.C.C.), and his team on November 17, 2023, in Beijing.
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H.E., the state minister, and her delegation were accompanied by H.E. Ambassador Dewano Kedir, Deputy Head of the Mission at the Ethiopian Embassy in China. The meeting mainly focused on how to further strengthen the relationships between Ethiopia and China in the areas of tourism, culture, and sports. The State Minister thanked the Vice Chairman and his team for the invitation and hospitality they have shown. She indicated that China is like home for Ethiopians, not only because both countries share long-term relations but also because of their connectivity, and she encouraged Chinese people to feel the same whenever they visit Ethiopia. In addition to that, she said Ethiopia is hoping to build a China-Africa tower in Addis Ababa, which will represent the symbolic relations between the two countries, and we kindly need your assistance.
H.E. Ambassador Dawano Kedir also pays his gratitude to the Chinese counter for arranging the meeting and invitation of the state minister. He said that we will deepen our cooperation in the areas of tourism, culture, and sports. China is a good friend to Ethiopia, and therefore, it`s good for us to deepen our experience sharing in culture and tourism. He also added that some weeks ago, our leaders uplifted our relations to all weather strategic partnerships during the BRI forum, and we need to bring it to the grass roots, which are people-to-people relations.
H.E. Guo Jun, the vice chairman on his side, welcomed the state minister and her delegation and thanked them for accepting the invitation. He pointed out that China and Ethiopia are good friends, and he further narrated historical relations between the two countries. He also mentioned that he agreed to cooperate with the Ministry of Tourism in order to promote people-to-people relations between China and Ethiopia. He added that China is a country with a large population and Ethiopia has the second-largest population in Africa. He also added that tourism has become a hot topic in China, and we have so much more we can do to promote cooperation between China and Africa. He further said that Ethiopia needs to link up with the top Chinese travel agencies and Chinese social media in order to advertise Ethiopian tourism areas. He added that we are willing to assist.
In conclusion, both agreed that they would work together in the area of culture, Sports and tourism, and the Embassy of Ethiopia in Beijing will serve as the bridge between the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Ethiopia and the China Ministry of Culture and Tourism to further strengthen cooperation between the two ministries.
