The Ethiopian embassy in Beijing held an event on Thursday to mark the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Ethiopia and China.
Ambassadors from more than 60 countries attended the event.
In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Ethiopian Ambassador to China Tefera Derbew Yimam shared his views on China-Ethiopia relations and expressed the hope for further exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.
"Our bilateral relationship is deep-rooted and is based on mutual trust, respect and equality. The two countries have enjoyed their bilateral relationship over the past 55 years. Today, we are celebrating this strong, deep-rooted partnership so that we can use the existing solid foundation for further engagement, for further partnership," he said.
According to the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the relationship between China and Ethiopia has evolved since the landmark visit by Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie to Beijing in 1971. Over the past more than five decades, relations between China and Ethiopia have been strengthened on the basis of the principles of equality, non-interference and mutual benefit.
"We can see how Ethiopia is taking off through its cooperation, very productive and fruitful cooperation with China. So, we are so proud of it as Africans, but as well as friends of China, so as diplomats and Dean of the African group," said Martin Mpana, Cameroonian Ambassador to China.
Siddharth Chatterjee, U.N. Resident Coordinator in China, said he visited Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa about 20 years ago, gaining a firsthand understanding of the country's development. Speaking to the CGTN, he highlighted the relations between China and Ethiopia as a reflection of the broader relations between China and Africa.
"As a matter of fact, Ethiopia epitomizes the microcosm of the China Africa relationship. I have seen first-hand the kind of progress Ethiopia has made. And I went to Addis Ababa for the first time in 2001. I've seen the real effects of the Belt and Road Initiative, and how it's transformed the entire landscape in Ethiopia. So, in many ways, I welcome this sort of partnership that China has with Africa. As far as the United Nations is concerned, we want to see Africa progress," he said.
Ethiopian embassy marks 55 years of diplomatic relations with China
With the rollout of pro-consumption policies, China's consumer market has maintained a steady upward trajectory since the beginning of this year.
The index tracking offline consumption, compiled by the State Information Center under the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC)，showed a year-on-year increase of 13.6 percent for January and February, marking a 7.2-percentage-point rise from December.
A major driver of this growth is the expansion of the trade-in program, a government initiative designed to stimulate consumer spending by offering subsidies for exchanging old products, particularly home appliances and digital devices, for new ones.
Currently, the number of home appliance categories eligible for government subsidies has increased from eight to 12, sparking strong consumer interest.
At a home appliance store in Beijing's Daxing District, the retailer is actively promoting the trade-in program while introducing additional services to further encourage consumer spending. These include a one-year replacement guarantee for small appliances in case of malfunction and a 100-day free trial for new products.
"Since the trade-in program was expanded, there has been a lot of positive feedback from the consumers. We have seen a month-on-month increase of 30 percent in our orders," said Jin Xue, manager of a Midea store in Daxing. Midea Group, a major Chinese home appliance manufacturer, is one of the beneficiaries of this initiative.
According to data from the Ministry of Commerce, as of March 5, more than 9.4 million consumers had purchased over 12 million home appliances under the trade-in program. Moreover, over 34 million consumers had applied for subsidies covering more than 42 million digital products, such as mobile phones.
Beyond goods, service consumption is also gaining traction. The State Information Center's index for lifestyle services consumption, which tracks activity based on e-commerce platform data, showed a year-on-year increase of 20.1 percent for January and February. Notably, leisure and entertainment consumption saw a remarkable surge of 79.1 percent, while catering increased by 15.4 percent and tourism grew by 5.9 percent.
"Since the beginning of this year, we have seen many bright spots in the consumer market, which shows strong vitality and potential [of domestic demand]. This has provided solid support for economic growth. The fundamental role of consumption in driving economic development becomes increasingly evident," said Wei Ying, deputy director of the big data development department at the State Information Center.
China has given priority to boosting consumer spending as it aims to meet a growth target of around 5 percent this year.
China's consumer market heats up with expanded trade-in policy
