By: Birr metrics

Addis Ababa hosted the 2025 China-Ethiopia Industry Matchmaking Event, bringing together governments and enterprises to advance industrial collaboration and policy alignment between Ethiopia, China, and other BRICS member states.

Zhuang Rongliang, vice mayor of Xiamen City and director-general of the BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution Innovation Center (BRICS PartNIR Innovation Center), highlighted the growing trade connections facilitated by the BRICS freight air route. Launched in February 2023, the Xiamen-Addis Ababa-Sao Paulo route has completed 598 flights in two years, supporting 750 million US dollars in trade and handling roughly 39,200 metric tons of cargo. "Increased flight frequency has enhanced connectivity across China, Africa, and South America," Zhuang said.

Ethiopia’s state minister of industry, Tarekegn Bululta, described the matchmaking event as a strategic platform to align Chinese expertise with Ethiopia’s industrial priorities. "Partnerships with Ethiopian entrepreneurs can accelerate project execution, reduce operational risks, and provide access to local talent," he said, inviting Chinese investors to support Ethiopia’s ambitions of becoming a leading manufacturing hub.

Liu Xiaoguang, minister counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia, added that China and Ethiopia share cooperation across agriculture, manufacturing, mining, digitalisation, green development, and capacity building. He said the event would facilitate knowledge exchange and strategic alignment, while China continues to support Ethiopia’s local value chains, manufacturing expansion, critical mineral processing, and accession efforts to the World Trade Organization.

The matchmaking event also featured a cooperation agreement between the BRICS PartNIR Innovation Center and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation to explore a platform enabling Chinese and other BRICS enterprises to access Ethiopia’s market.