Premier Li meets Ethiopian prime minister

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali ahead of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, capital of China, April 24, 2019. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

BEIJING, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali on Wednesday ahead of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation to be held from April 25 to 27 in Beijing.

Noting the importance of the bilateral ties in China-Africa relations, Li said China is ready to work with Ethiopia in advancing cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative and implementing the results of the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

China is willing to deepen the cooperation with Ethiopia in areas including infrastructure, and support the development of regions along the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway and a river bank project in Addis Ababa, said Li, adding that Chinese enterprises will be encouraged to invest in Ethiopia.

Abiy Ahmed Ali said Ethiopia sees China as an important partner and is willing to improve the practical cooperation with China in various fields to make it a model for South-South cooperation and Africa-China cooperation.

After the meeting, they witnessed the signing of a series of documents between the two sides.