ADDIS ABABA, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian government has invited Chinese steel companies to explore investment opportunities in Ethiopia amid the East African country's booming construction sector.

This came as the Ethiopia's Consul General in Chongqing, China, Anteneh Tariku, held "a fruitful discussion" with Zhang Yong, Vice President of Chongqing Iron and Steel Design Institute (CISDI Group) in Chongqing, the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement issued over the weekend.

Ethiopia's Consul General, who briefed the Chinese side about Ethiopian current steel production capacity and the potential of iron ore resources, stressed that "both sides would reap a mutual benefit through coupling Ethiopian natural resources with the company's technology and know-how," according to the ministry.

"The government of Ethiopia encourages companies like CISDI Group, considering the potential of the construction sector in advancing the country's economy," Tariku added.

Zhang Young, on his part, stressed that the CISDI Group "is looking for possibilities to invest outside of China, confident of its abundant experience, technology, and know-how in the field," the statement from the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs quoted Zhang as saying.

Anteneh has also called upon the company to look into the possibility of investment in Ethiopia on Iron and steel projects and real estate development projects, for which the CISDI leaders replied positively.

According to the Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC), Chinese companies, with close to 1,564 projects that were either operational or under implementation during the past two decades, are the top players in Ethiopia's investment landscape both in terms of the number of projects and the financial capital.