Day: June 3, 2023

Ethiopian University, Secondary School Students Chinese Language Proficiency Competition Held

A Chinese proficiency competition for Ethiopian university and secondary school students with the view to enhancing cultural relationship between the two countries has taken place here in Addis Ababa today.

Some 16 university and 6 secondary school students participated in the final round competition.

The talent show included singing Chinese songs, Chinese dancing, poetry recitation, cross talk, tongue twisters, Huangmei Opera, and martial arts performance.

Special prizes, first to third prizes, and excellence awards were given to the twenty two contestants.

The winners in the university and the secondary school group categories will go to China to participate in the finals, it was learned.

Speaking on the occasion, Chinese Ambassador Zhao Zhiyuan said that he is very confident that those Chinese learners in Ethiopia and Amharic learners in China will become ambassadors of friendship in the near future.

"I am very confident that those Chinese learners in Ethiopia and Amharic learners in China will become Sino-Ethiopia ambassadors of friendship in the near future, contributing to the consolidation of the bridge of brotherly relationship between our two countries, to the building of the bridge of a community with a shared future for our two people."

He added that the competition is an important platform to promote exchanges and friendship between Chinese and foreign students, and an important bridge to promote people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries and jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Since the first round competition in 2002, more than 1.4 million non-native Chinese language learners from more than 150 countries have participated in the Chinese proficiency competitions, Ambassador Zhiyuan stated.

Representing the Internationalization and Scholarship Desk of the Ministry of Education, Terefe Belay said that the two countries have a long-standing relationship.

According to him, strengthening cultural ties between the peoples of the countries will further consolidate the cultural relationship.

'The relationship between Ethiopia and China is long standing. It has been around for long. Both countries have great cultural and ancient heritages. Therefore, in order to strengthen the brotherly relationship between the two countries, it will make them more effective if people learn each other’s culture, languages through academic exchange.'

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Over 900,000 Hectares of Land Readied for Planting Tree Seedlings this Ethiopian Rainy Season

More than 902,000 hectares of land is readied for planting tree seedlings this Ethiopian rainy season, according to Ethiopian Forestry Development (EFD).

Ethiopia has managed to plant 25 billion seedlings in the past 4 years through the Green Legacy Initiative.

EFD Deputy Director General Motuma Tolera told ENA that the comprehensive activity carried out through the initiative is a successful project that has mobilized massive public participation like the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

He noted that planting trees is not a matter of choice but survival for Ethiopians because unless millions of seedlings are not planted every year, we will be exposed to serious dangers caused by climate change.

"The Green Legacy Initiative is not a matter of choice as most of our mountain areas are being severely degraded," the deputy director general said, adding that recent studies show that millions of hectares of land are also going to deteriorate unless they are quickly covered with trees. There is a lot of soil erosion."

According to him, over 7 billion seedlings are prepared so far to plant more than 6.5 billion tree seedlings. For this reason, the tree seedlings are readied for planting after research was conducted to identify what kind of saplings to plant, in what kind of environment, and what kind of soil.

Subsequently, over 902,000 hectares of land is prepared for planting seedlings.

Motuma added that the community's participation has been improving from time to time in seed selection, planting, and caring for the trees.

More than 250 million saplings were planted in Oromia, Sidama, South, SouthWest Ethiopia regions, and Dre Dawa City Administration during this belg season.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Consultation Underway to Gather Inputs for Draft Proclamation on IDPs

A consultation forum is being held in Adama city to gather inputs for draft proclamation on protection and support of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

The consultation was organized by the Ministry of Peace, the Ministry of Justice, International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.

Representatives of human rights institutions, civil associations, higher education institutions and other pertinent stakeholders are attending the forum, it was indicated. During the occasion, State Minister of Peace, Seyoum Mesfin said that a large number of citizens, including mothers and children, have been displaced by man-made and natural disasters in the past years.

There was no legal framework to provide complete support to IDPs in Ethiopia, he elaborated.

To this end, he stated the draft protection and support proclamation for IDPs, which is in the process of preparation, will help to provide them with humanitarian aid, protection of rights, and render other support.

According to international experience, governments have limited capacity to fully assist IDPs, so, they engage local and international aid organizations, the state minister said. Moreover, he elaborated that the preparation of draft proclamation is underway to overcome multiple challenges facing citizens, which resulted from internal displacement, due to man-made and natural calamities legally and in coordinated manner.

According to the draft proclamation, a national IDP protection and support council will be established, which will be accountable to the prime minister.

The Council will be headed by the deputy prime minister and will consist of various federal and regional government bodies, religious institutions, as well as other relevant entities, it was indicated.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Visit of DPM and Foreign Minister Demeke Will Help to Further Boost Bilateral Relations, Says Chinese Ambassador

The official visit of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen will help to further bolster the China- Ethiopia relationship, Chinese Ambassador Zhao Zhiyuan said.

Speaking to ENA, the ambassador stated that thanks to the care and promotion of the leaders of the two countries, practical cooperation has been continuously deepened and bilateral friendship has taken root in the hearts of the people.

During the visit of the deputy premier, higher officials of the two countries held discussions about matters of mutual concern, he added.

Ambassador Zhiyuan stated that China and Ethiopia have much in common as the major developing countries with respective influence in Asia and Africa, and in the world.

The two countries will work together to enhance the bilateral relationship.

While in China, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen told the China Global Television Network that comprehensive and multilateral cooperation between Ethiopia and China is a role model and a good showcase for many emerging economies in Africa and beyond.

He pointed out that Ethiopia and China have been experiencing a win-win principle and the existing bilateral relations are very dependable and friendly.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Ethio-Chinese Relationship Developing to Strategic Level: DPM and Foreign Minister Demeke

The relationship between Ethiopia and China is currently developing to a strategic level, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen told China Global Television Network (CGTN).

Recall that the deputy prime minister and foreign minister recently visited China.

In an interview with CGTN, the deputy prime minister and foreign minister said that the purpose of his visit here was to keep the momentum to address different outstanding issues for a strong engagement between the countries.

According to him, the comprehensive and multilateral cooperation between Ethiopia and China is a role model and a good showcase for many emerging economies in Africa and beyond.

“When we talk about partnership with China, it means comprehensive, strategic and cooperative, which is a very holistic bilateral mechanism. And this approach is also a good foundation for multilateral roles across the globe,” he underlined.

Demeke noted that Ethiopia and China have been experiencing a win-win principle and the existing bilateral relations are very dependable and friendly.

Apart from being in the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement and having cooperation in many spheres, Ethiopia is also in the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

For him, the Belt and Road Initiative is crucial to expedite the collectivity process, the economic connectivity, the economic integration mechanisms, and the like.

Ethiopia is very keen and committed to be connected through this Belt and Road Initiative mechanism, Demeke pointed out.

He further stated that some practical new emerging infrastructure development cooperation programs between Ethiopia and China, like the railway project from Addis Ababa to Djibouti and other regional projects, “are very important to implement the broad Belt and Road Initiative that would be a good infrastructure and a good connectivity model to enhance economic cooperation and to diversify engagement within this initiative framework.”

Asked about the evergrowing China-Africa partnership, he said that Africa is a rising continent with huge potential and “the strong relation between China and Africa means it is a practical demonstration and practical south-south cooperation between developing economies.”

The deputy prime minister and foreign minister believes that the Chinese-African partnership really gives another opportunity to influence the whole globe on cooperation mechanisms.

Partnerships like Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and BRI and other mechanisms are instrumental in strengthening the collective engagement in the political dialogue, economic cooperation and the like.

Demeke finally emphasized the need to see a peaceful and prosperous society that focuses on development, improved governance, and democracy in Africa.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency