Senior CPC official vows to boost cooperation with Ethiopia

BEIJING, Jun 30, 2011 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- A senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) pledged on Thursday to increase cooperation with the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).

Wang Gang, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, made the remarks while meeting with a delegation headed by Shiferaw Tekle-mariam, a member of the EPRDF executive committee. Shiferaw is also Ethiopia's federal affairs minister.

Wang talked about China-Ethiopia relations, saying cooperation in the areas of trade and investment, culture, education and public health was expanding, and the two countries were working closely together on international and regional affairs coordination.

"The China-Ethiopia relationship, under the framework of the Sino-Africa Cooperation Forum, has set an example for South-South cooperation," Wang added.

The CPC and the EPRDF have forged a close partnership over the past years, he said.

"We are willing to step up exchange and cooperation with the EPRDF on the basis of the four principles for party-to-party interaction, and continue seeking new means of exchange and cooperation in order to inject fresh vitality into the China-Ethiopia All-round Cooperative Partnership," Wang said.

The four principles include "independence, complete equality, mutual respect, and non-interference in each other's internal affairs."