In an exclusive Interview with Afro-Insight, the Chairperson of the Foreign Relations and Peace Affairs Standing Committee at Ethiopia’s House of Peoples’ Representatives (HoPR), Dr. Dima Negewo, has reaffirmed Ethiopia’s strong support for China regarding Taiwan.
Dr. Dima made this reaffirmation after the leader of the Taiwan region, Lai Ching-te, delivered a speech that was supportive of Taiwanese independence.
Dima stated that Ethiopia’s position on Taiwan has remained unchanged regardless of changes in government over the years. He highlighted Ethiopia’s historical role in supporting the 1971 United Nations decision that replaced the the then Republic of China (Taiwan) with the People’s Republic of China as China’s legitimate representative at the UN.
“Ethiopia’s position is ironclad. It is very clear,” Dr. Dima said.
“As I said under different regimes and different governments, Ethiopia’s stance has consistently been the same. We support China’s unity and recognize Taiwan as an integral part of China. The issue of Taiwan is China’s internal affair. It is up to the Chinese people to resolve any differences between the mainland and the island,” he added.
Regarding the recent speech by Lai Ching-te, Dr. Dima downplayed the remarks saying they were mainly intended for domestic political consumption.
Dr.Dima also stressed that the Ethiopian government’s position is that “Taiwan is a province of China and should be returned.”
According to him, the current leadership in Taiwan has been emboldened by support from the United States, particularly in relation to arms sales agreements.
Ethio-China Bilateral Relations
Dr. Dima said that nearly six-decade-long Ethiopia–China diplomatic relationship continues to grow steadily, supported by increased Chinese investment across several sectors, including railways, roads, telecommunications, and other infrastructure projects. He further said that current Chinese investment in Ethiopia stands at around $5 billion, with Chinese-owned industries employing approximately 65,000 Ethiopians.
The parliamentary exchanges between two countries have strengthened bilateral ties, Dr. Dima said noting a recent visit to China at the invitation of the National People’s Congress Foreign Affairs Committee, and an invitation extended for its chairperson to visit Ethiopia.
