Chinese and Ethiopian companies signed 33 cooperation deals worth a combined $330 million at a trade promotion event this week, as the two countries seek to deepen commercial ties and expand Ethiopian access to the Chinese market.
The event was co-hosted by China’s Ministry of Commerce, the Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia, and Ethiopia’s Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration and Ministry of Finance, and brought together more than 200 representatives from import-export businesses in both countries.
The agreements cover a range of Ethiopian export products, including coffee, oilseeds, cereals, leather goods, minerals and textiles, according to Ethiopia’s Minister of Trade and Regional Integration, Kassahun Gofe. He said the deals were part of efforts to improve market access for Ethiopian exporters and raise the profile of Ethiopian products internationally.
Kassahun said Ethiopia’s exports to China reached $369 million in the 2025/26 Ethiopian fiscal year, which ended July 7, marking average annual growth of 92% over the past five years.
Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia Chen Hai said the initiative was intended to help position China’s domestic market as a shared global market, adding that lowering access costs for Ethiopian exports would help balance bilateral trade while encouraging Chinese and other investors to expand in Ethiopia’s competitive industries.
The trade session forms part of broader efforts by Beijing to strengthen economic engagement with Ethiopia, one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies and a major recipient of Chinese investment in recent years, spanning infrastructure, energy and manufacturing projects.
