Senior Chinese leader to visit Ethiopia

Senior Chinese leader Jia Qinglin will attend the opening ceremony of the 18th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU) and pay an official goodwill visit to Ethiopia, from Jan. 27 to 29, Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said on Tuesday.

At the AU's invitation, Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, will deliver a speech at the opening ceremony, said Liu.

Liu said Jia will also visit Ethiopia at the invitation of the Ethiopian government. He will meet Ethiopian President Girma Wolde Giorgis and hold talks with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

Jia will meet Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, president of Equatorial Guinea and current AU chairman, as well as AU Commission Chairperson Jean Ping, and attend the completion ceremony of the China-funded AU Conference Center, said Liu.

China hopes Jia's visit will further cement and strengthen China's friendly relations with the AU and Ethiopia, advance bilateral mutual political trust and deepen mutual pragmatic cooperation, said Liu.

It is also expected that the visit will push forward the constant development of the new China-Africa strategic partnership as well as the China-Ethiopia all-round cooperative partnership, Liu said.