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."

Ethiopia arrests 9, including 2 journalists, on terrorism charges, government official says - The Washington Post

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — An Ethiopian official says nine people were arrested last week on suspicions of organizing a terrorist network and planning attacks.

Government spokesman Shimeles Kemal said Wednesday that two journalists were among those arrested. He says they were involved in planning attacks on infrastructure, telecommunications and power lines. Shimeles says two other suspects are members of an opposition party.

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Shimeles says the suspects were supported by Ethiopia’s archenemy Eritrea and by an international terrorist group, which he did not name.

International media rights groups have been calling for the release of Reeyot Alemu, a columnist for the independent weekly Feteh, and Woubshet Taye, deputy editor-in-chief of the weekly Awramba Times newspaper.

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