ABSTRACT
Ethiopia, as one of the least developed countries in the world, has always been labelled as poor, landlocked, and lacking in resources. With lots of features that Beijing may be uninterested in, China–Ethiopia relations have expanded and deepened in recent years both politically and economically. High-level visits have been maintained for 43 years, ever since the two countries established bilateral diplomatic relations in 1970. Emperor Haile Selassie, then-President Mengistu Haile Mariam, and then-Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, Prime Minster Hailemariam visited China; while then-Vice Prime Minister Qian Qichen, President Jiang Zemin and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao have visited Ethiopia in return. Ethiopia was among the first wave of African countries to establish diplomatic relations with Beijing. Since then, China-Ethiopia relations have passed through three stages: the imperial period, the Dergue period, and the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) period. The contemporary bilateral diplomatic relations are conducted between Beijing and the EPRDF.
