Controversy
The railway has been welcomed by locals, many of whom have only recently seen trains for the first time. The stations have also become a scenic spot for locals and especially newlyweds to take pictures.
Many passengers who have ridden the train during its trial operation period expressed their admiration.
Dawet, an Ethiopian journalist who has been reporting on the project, gave it the thumbs-up. "We have had no trains for more than three decades and could only depend on carts for travel," he told the Global Times, adding that there is currently just one road connecting Djibouti with Ethiopia.
The cargo railway will definitely help reduce transport costs and bring down the price of commodities, Dawet explained. "Chinese-built railways for us and financed for us, we really appreciate it very much," he noted.
However, there are also some negative voices. Some media reported that China was "dumping its outdated technology and unwanted products" onto African countries.
Getachew believes such accusations are ignorant, pointing out that Chinese enterprises contracted the project exactly within Ethiopian law. "Actually, it's us who are making the choices, not China. We chose their technology based on our transportation plans," he said.
"We have made lots of feasibility studies. The project quality is evaluated by the Chinese side, the Ethiopian side and an independent third party, everything is transparent."
Low cost and high speed are the advantages of Chinese standards. According to consulting firms, completing the project within four years for just $4 billion was originally thought to be nearly impossible.
The construction was harsh due to the country's tropical climate and desert landscape. To have the railway endure Ethiopia's droughts and floods, to minimize damage to national parks and the migration routes of wild animals, special overpasses and tunnels were built.
The railway has won the Chinese people greater trust in the region. Some local project managers even asked Chinese engineers to check the blueprints of their own homes.
Chinese diligence has also impressed many local workers. An Ethiopian who drove for the railway project said "Chinese are always working, they can have future."
"Chinese teach us skills. I must learn it well, they are important for us and for the country," said an Ethiopian apprentice who worked under the guidance of a Chinese engineer.
Win-win result
The line has brought new hope as well as concrete benefits to the people living along the line. In 2014 when holes were being created for the line in a village called Furi, a spring of fresh water appeared, pleasing the villagers who had to walk a long way to collect water previously.
During the whole construction process, Chinese workers have made a total of 19 wells for the villages along the line, and built country roads as long as 400 kilometers, and renovated playgrounds as for schools.
The second most populous African nation after Nigeria, Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world, though it has seen double-digit economic growth in recent years. Now it is putting a great effort into developing its public infrastructure.
Getachew said the country plans to built a railway network 2,000 kilometers long by 2025. Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has publicly expressed hope to continue working with Chinese enterprises.
China has a popular saying: "Want to get rich? First build a road." Getachew agrees with this idea, saying that the country is learning from China's development experience.
"With transnational railways connecting African countries, we can exchange labor, products and resources," he said.
The success of the Ethiopia-Djibouti Railway will also open a new global market for Chinese railway technology and services. In addition, the railways will also bring opportunities for Chinese non-railway industries.
Along the railway, some large industrial parks and logistics centers are planned. On the opening day of the railway on October 5, Xu Youding representing CREC signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ethiopian industrial park development authority to build a industrial park that is supposed to cover 84.5 square kilometers.
The park will become a new town that will include logistics, trade center, manufacturing factories, education and training bases and residential areas. Many enterprises from China, Turkey and India have made inquiries and plan to settle in the park.
According to official figures, China surpassed the US to become Africa's largest trade partner in 2009. In 2014, mutual trade volume totaled $220 billion, 22 times that in 2000, and the investment from China into Africa exceeded $30 billion. However, trade and investment both dropped greatly last year due to the Chinese economic slowdown.
