26 June 2023: Speech delivered by H.E. Mr. YANG Yihang, Minister Counsellor for Economic and Commercial                                 Affairs, the Embassy of China in Ethiopia

Excellency Dr-Ing Sultan Wali, State Minister of Water and Energy of Ethiopia,
Respected Cleophas Torori, Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP Ethiopia,
Ladies and gentlemen, Good morning.

Thank you for inviting me to be part of this event. On behalf of the Embassy of China, I would like to express my appreciation to all relevant parties who have made great efforts to organize this event. 
Jointly funded by the Ministry of Commerce of China, UNDP, and the Ministry of Water and Energy of Ethiopia, this Trilateral Cooperation project has made substantive progress despite many challenges in the past years. As we know, Ethiopia is endowed with huge potential for developing renewable energy. Therefore, the establishment of the Joint Research and Extension Center is highly significant and timely. It will become a learning platform for both China and Ethiopia to engage and cooperate in the field of Renewable Energy Technology transfer, and to facilitate local communities to adopt Renewable Energy Technology, to promote economic growth and improve people’s livelihood.

China is playing an important role in terms of the development of renewable energy. Supported by full supply chains and robust policy measures, China has achieved leapfrog development in the field of renewable energy in recent years, and has developed a complete industrial system for renewable energy technology during the last decade. At the opening ceremony of the 8th Ministerial Conference of FOCAC held in November 2021, President Xi Jinping announced that China will work closely with African countries to implement “Nine Programs”, among which Green Development program stands out as an important sector. China will undertake green development, environmental protection and climate action projects for Africa, support the development of the “Great Green Wall”, and build in Africa centers of excellence on low-carbon development and climate change adaptation. Under South-South Cooperation as well as FOCAC Framework, it is hoped that China’s experience and expertise in this regard can be shared with our friend Ethiopia and other developing countries, to help these countries tap their full potential in the development of renewable energy.

Last but not least, I firmly believe that with joint efforts from all parties, this project will play a very active role in helping Ethiopia not only to improve people’s livelihood, but also achieve its energy targets. The Chinese Embassy will continue to work together with all counterparts to make sure that the project is a complete success.

Thank you very much!