Africa-China expo launched in Ethiopian capital

Stating that Ethiopia has a lot to draw from China's experience, Sufian said the Expo would play crucial role in promoting business cooperation and technology transfer.

"The Expo will further strengthen the industrial cooperation between the two countries. It will also pave the ground for technology transfer," said the Advisor Minister.

La Yifan, Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia, hailed the Expo's contribution to increasing trade between Ethiopia and China.

He said the Expo takes place at a critical juncture as Ethiopia has just launched implementation of the second growth and transformation plan (GTP), to which the Ambassador said the Expo has contribution.

The Expo will be an opportunity for the Chinese and Ethiopians to know each other more, noted the Ambassador.

Stating that the trade volume between China and Africa is increasing, Fatima Haram Acyl, AU Commissioner for Trade and Industry, said China has contributed to the robust economic growth of Africa by investing on the continent in the areas including, mining, transport, health and education, and ICT (information and communication technology) among others.

The Commissioner also hailed China's support to Africa during testing times such as to the efforts to address the Ebola outbreak in some African countries.

She has called for more Chinese investment in Africa.

The Expo displays a range of Chinese commodities and services such as machineries of agriculture, leather processing, food processing and packaging, engineering as well as automobiles, hardware and construction materials, light industry consumption goods.

It also shows home appliances and consumer electronics as well as products from the fields of electric power, rail transportation, petrochemicals, metallurgy and mining, construction materials, civil engineering and equipment technology and others.