China visa application center opens in Ethiopia's capital

The Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia on Friday inaugurated the China visa application center in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.

According to a statement from the Chinese Embassy, the newly inaugurated visa application center is responsible for handling some consular document applications and consular authentication, as well as collecting governmental fees for the above-mentioned certificates.

Applicants can pick up the passports or certificates and seek consultation from the visa application center, the statement said.

Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia Zhao Zhiyuan said at the occasion that the official opening came as China downgraded the management of COVID-19 and optimized its response to the pandemic, which will help increase the economic, trade, cultural, and people-to-people cooperation and exchanges between the two countries.

"The flow of people between our two countries is rising. More and more Ethiopian friends want to go to China. As a result, Chinese visa applications have surged," Zhao said, noting that amid the growing Chinese visa applications, the embassy can no longer cater to the needs of so many Ethiopian friends.

Zhao said the center was established in Addis Ababa in collaboration with China CYTS Tours Company and with assistance from the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ethiopian Immigration and Citizenship Service, the Ethiopian Investment Commission, and the Ethiopian Ministry of Trade and Regional integration.

Following the opening of the China visa application center, Ethiopian Chinese visa applicants are said to enjoy more quality service within a relatively shorter period of time.

Samuel Fitsumbirhan, director of the Asia Pacific Division at the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the center will play an important role in further strengthening the expanding Ethiopia-China ties.

"The inauguration of the center in Addis Ababa is a strong manifestation of the excellent government-to-government, business-to-business, and people-to-people relations between Ethiopia and China, which amounts to a Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership that is a model to China-Africa cooperation," he said.

Ethiopia's State Minister of Tourism Sileshi Girma underscored the huge role the center will play in line with the two countries' openness and commitment to further deepening their cooperation and partnership across all socioeconomic and governance sectors.

Girma said the center will, in particular, play a crucial role in strengthening tourism sector cooperation between the two countries by easing visa issuance procedures for travelers.

President of CYTS Wang Silian said the establishment of the visa center will be an important step in the overseas market layout of CYTS, pledging that his company will utilize its experience and talent toward the success of the center.