Your Excellency Dr. Mulatu Teshome, President of Ethiopia,

Your Excellency Mr. Li Yong, Director General of UNIDO,

Your Excellency Mr. Ahmed Abtew, Ethiopian Minister of Industry,

Your Excellency Mr. Abdalla Hamdok, Deputy Executive Secretary, UNECA,

Your Excellency Prof. Victor Harison, Commissioner for Economic Affairs, AU Commission,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

A very good afternoon to all of you!

I arrived in Ethiopia on 4 December 2017. I am greatly honoured to serve as Ambassador of China to Ethiopia, fully understanding that this bilateral relationship is important to Ethiopia, important to China, and we want to build it a role model for South-South cooperation.

It is also my great pleasure to attend this Forum, because its theme -- agro-industry investment -- is highly relevant to Ethiopia, to Africa, and to developing countries.

We call ourselves developing countries, Then how to develop? How to reduce poverty? How to upgrade to a middle income country?

Investment and industrialization are key.

Yes, free trade is good, no doubt about that. But if trade is not promoted hand-in-hand with investment and industrialization, then we developing countries will remain as raw material and commodities providers, at the very low end of the global value chain.

This is, of course, not good – and not fair. We want to be integrated into the GVC, and move up in the chain.

So, congratulations to the organizers on convening this Forum and choosing this theme.

Excellencies and distinguished guests,

China firmly supports the industrialization process of developing countries. Here I wish to mention three points.

1. When hosting G20 in 2016, China, supported by UNIDO, pushed for the launch of G20 Initiative on Supporting Industrialization in Africa and Least Developed Countries.

Let me quote you here the following consensus language: industrialization plays an important role in eliminating absolute poverty and promoting sustainable development. There is growing consensus on the need for renewed efforts to facilitate sustainable industrialization as one of the main drivers of economic growth and structural transformation in Africa and LDCs.

These words may seem to be taken out from the Growth and Transformation Plan of Ethiopia. In fact this is the first paragraph of the G20 Initiative.

2. China supports UNIDO in advancing the investment and industrialization agenda.

While some parties have decreased their support to UNIDO, China has been increasing its input.

In the period 2013-2016, China contributed USD 20 million in support of the Organization's activities.

For the period 2017-2021, China will make additional contribution of USD 24 million to UNIDO.

Currently, UNIDO focuses on exploring new service models based on partnerships and investment promotion, with a new approach called Programme for Country Partnership, or PCP in short. China supports UNIDO to conduct PCP pilots in Ethiopia and other African countries, with a contribution of USD 18 million to PCP Trust Fund, which is the major source of funds for the first and second International Agro-Industry Investment Forum.

3. Most important of all, China is implementing the Belt and Road Initiative.

Observing the principles of openness, inclusiveness, transparency, guided by the ideas of planning together, building together and benefiting together, we have been working very hard to achieve connectivity – policy connectivity, infrastructure connectivity, trade connectivity, financing connectivity, and people-to-people connectivity, with the objective of building a community with a shared future for humanity.

It goes without saying that the grand Belt and Road Initiative will help developing countries in promoting investment and advancing industrialization.

Mr. President,

Please allow me to say a few words on agriculture and on China-Ethiopia cooperation in agro-industry.

I came with the knowledge that Ethiopia is a country with agriculture as the foundation of its economy, accounting for 36.3% of GDP, around 90% of exports, and over 80% of total employment.

We Chinese have learned from our own experience that agriculture could be the most important sector in economy for the majority of developing countries. This year 2018 marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening up policy which has brought sea change to China: lifting more than 700 million people out of poverty; making China the largest manufacturing power in the world.

A miracle indeed.

And it all started from the agriculture sector and in the rural area.

We introduced the household responsibility system, promoted the development of the village and township enterprises, and encouraged migration from countryside to cities. Today, agriculture is still a major area of our on-going reform. Currently we are building new socialist countryside, focusing on three "F" – farming, farm and farmer.

The Government of Ethiopia formulated national strategy called Agriculture Development Led Industrialization, or ADLI in short, that aimed at transforming the country's economy with high-value added agro-processing products. As a "Comprehensive and Strategic Cooperative Partner" of Ethiopia, China firmly supports Ethiopia's ADLI strategy in both agriculture and industry sectors.

In recent years, with mutual efforts, constant progress has been achieved in bilateral agricultural cooperation.

Here are some highlights.

1. China has been contributing food aid to Ethiopia for years. In 2017, China provided USD 15 million worth of wheat and additional USD 6 million donation to WFP for Ethiopian drought victims, which made China the third largest food aid contributor to Ethiopia.

2. Since 2001, Chinese teachers have been teaching here under the agro-cooperation program called China-Ethiopia Agricultural Technical Vocational Education.

Since 2009, China has dispatched agricultural experts to work with Ethiopian farmers sharing agro-technologies.

In 2012, China set up China-Ethiopia Agricultural Technology Demonstration Center, demonstrating and disseminating new technologies.

3. China attaches importance to technology cooperation. A case in point is on Teff crop -- the most important staple food and unique healthy food in Ethiopia.

We all know and love Ingera, which comes from Teff crop. But we may not know that Teff farming has been neither high-yielding nor cost-effective.

The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Mechanization Sciences has developed a series of machineries in planting, harvesting and threshing of Teff. These machineries help reduce greatly labour intensity, waste and cost in Teff farming, winning high praises from Ethiopian officials and farmers. The head of the Academy Mr. Wang Bo is with us today and there will be a signing of cooperation MOU this afternoon.

Very good job.

From above, you may see our contribution in terms of food aid, human resources, financial resources, institution building and technology dissemination in the agro-sector.

Now on the industrial cooperation.

To my understanding, the industrialization policy of Ethiopia is featured on building infrastructure and industrial parks. Chinese companies, encouraged by Chinese Government, have invested heavily in both.

The Addis Ababa – Djibouti Railway has been put into commercial operation since the first day of this year. And we aim high – to help develop an economic belt along this rail line.

The first modern Industrial Park-China Eastern Industry Zone, was developed by a Chinese private company. Up to now, 15 industrial parks are either under construction or have been completed.

According to the Ethiopian Investment Commission, as to the end of 2017, Chinese direct investment projects in Ethiopia have amounted to 25.3 billion Birr, with a total number of over 746 projects.

Let's prioritize the agro-industry investment in Industrial Parks.

Let's do well in agro-industry investment.

Ethiopia is China's priority partner in carrying out production capacity cooperation with Africa.

Last May, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia was invited to participate in the Leaders Roundtable of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing.

This year, China will host two important events. In September, the China Africa Cooperation Forum Summit in Beijing; in November, the first China International Import Expo in Shanghai. The Summit will explore how China's Belt and Road Initiative, the international initiative like the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, regional initiative like African Agenda 2063, and national initiative like Ethiopia's Growth and Transformation Plan, could compliment to each other and produce the synergy.

Please grasp these opportunities to accelerate the industrialization and boost export of Ethiopia.

Ladies and gentlemen,

China firmly supported African people's fight to win political independence.

China has been active supporting African people to achieve economic and social development. We are for South South Cooperation and tripartite cooperation.

Three days ago, March 2nd, marked the 122nd anniversary of the Victory of Adwa where Ethiopians made a historic triumph against the well equipped colonial invading forces.

As the only African country that has never been colonized, Ethiopia has inspired other African countries to win political independence.

With its double-digit growth for over a decade, Ethiopia could again inspire other African countries to achieve economic development.

We know that currently Ethiopia has met with some difficulties. Yet we are confident that Ethiopia will overcome the hurdles and emerge stronger.

Dear participants,

2018 is the year of dog in Chinese zodiac. Dog is praised for its loyalty, integrity, and hardworking. The Chinese word for prosperity is 旺,sounds the same with a dog's bark.

I wish peace and prosperity of Ethiopia and success in its economic growth and transformation!

I wish the success of South-South cooperation and tripartite cooperation led and coordinated by UNIDO!

I wish the complete success of this forum!

And I wish everyone here all the best in 2018, the year of dog!

Thank you for your attention.