China’s ambassador to Ethiopia, Zhou Zhiyuan (photo), convened a press conference on Friday to further bolster the support conveyed by Foreign Minister Wang Yi, during his surprise visit to Addis Ababa earlier in the week.
Zhou reiterated Beijing’s support for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and said that China supports Addis Ababa unconditionally and “resolutely opposes any unilateral actions” — an indirect reference to the United States that has imposed sanctions on the Ethiopian government and is poised to remove the country’s duty-free access to the U.S. market under the African Growth and Opportunity Act.