Ethiopia. China openly support Amhara fascist regime by challenging the civil and democratic world.

The visit of the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Addis Ababa establishes the alliance with the fascist regime Amhara and the Warlord Abiy Ahmed Ali, opposing the United States and the European Union. Here is the complete translation of Angelo Martinengo Senior Journalist, Ambassador of Genoa in the World published in the Italian Catholic newspaper “Il Faro di Roma”

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on December 1, 2021. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi issued a bold diplomatic statement with a previously unannounced visit to Ethiopia. The trip seemed destined to send a strong message of support to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and, at the same time, to blame the growing Western pressure against Addis Ababa.

Wang arrived in the Ethiopian capital on December 1 after leaving Senegal, where he co-hosted the three-day conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. He was met at the airport by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen who accompanied Wang to the Foreign Ministry, where the two held talks behind closed doors followed by a joint press conference.

Wang’s perspective actually entering downtown Addis was itself widely seen as a significant gesture. Supporters of Prime Minister Abiy have noted that while the United States and European countries are withdrawing their staff from the capital, China’s top diplomat is acting in the opposite direction. During their talks, according to a foreign ministry statement, Demeke informed Wang about the war with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and said that “the enemy is on the march”.

Later, during the press conference, Wang reaffirmed Beijing’s longstanding opposition to what he calls “interference in the internal affairs of Ethiopia” by US and European powers, which have become increasingly alarmed by the humanitarian crisis caused by the ‘ escalation of the conflict. For months, China has been Ethiopia’s most outspoken supporter at the United Nations and has rejected efforts to censor or sanction Addis Ababa for the war in Tigray.

Demeke also addressed the issue of Ethiopia’s sizable debt to Chinese creditors, which amounts to approximately $ 13.7 billion. Ethiopia is the second largest Chinese borrower in Africa behind Angola. There was no indication of how Wang had responded to Demeke’s request for debt relief.

China likely sees the Ethiopian government’s determination to suppress the TPLF in much the same way as separatist movements in Xinjiang and elsewhere within its borders. This is exactly why China frames the current Ethiopian war as a purely internal issue and not subject to international intervention.

The dynamics of the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia and the reaction of the West align perfectly with China’s alternative worldview that vehemently opposes the use of unilateral sanctions and what it describes as “hegemonic bullying” by the United States. Given the growing perception that the United States is actively supporting the TPLF in this conflict, it is not surprising that the positions of China and Ethiopia are aligning.

This is the underrated X factor in all of this dynamic. It cannot be overstated how much it means to Chinese officials that Ethiopia has resisted global pressure to stop flights to China during the height of the Covid-19 crisis. China was then isolated and Ethiopia was among the few countries that did not hold back. Now, that loyalty is rewarded as Ethiopia finds itself increasingly alienated from traditional powers. Wang didn’t have to visit Ethiopia on his way home, but he did, and he stresses how personal this geopolitical relationship is for both countries.

Angelo Martinengo.

Ambassador of Genoa in the World, (Honorary Appointee) since
October 12th, 2018 at The Genoa Municipality, Liguria, Italy.
Senior Journalist, eMail: < cocationam@gmail.com > FarodiRoma https://www.farodiroma.it/?s=a.+martinengo

Link to the article in the original language published on Il Faro di Roma https://www.farodiroma.it/cina-etiopia-la-visita-del-ministro-degli-esteri-cinese-mostra-il-sostegno-di-pechino-ad-abiy-a-martinengo/