ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The 2025 China-Ethiopia Friendship Award ceremony was held Friday in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, honoring more than 40 Ethiopian students and researchers dedicated to the study and promotion of Chinese language and China-Ethiopia friendship.
Speaking at the event, Samuel Kifle, president of the Addis Ababa University (AAU), said the award is a testament to a continued commitment of the Chinese government to improving the quality of education in Ethiopia through enhancing the capacity and skills of local researchers and Chinese language learners.
"With this support, we have had our students dispatched to China to study in various levels, and also our researchers get the necessary support to pursue their PhD as well as conduct their research. But above all, this support has helped Addis Ababa University strengthen its initial capacity to improve the quality of education in many aspects," Kifle said.
Recalling that Ethiopia and China have witnessed growing political, diplomatic, cultural, trade, investment, and social collaborations, the president said strengthening friendship with China is not a "matter of choice but a wise decision."
Noting that China and Ethiopia have already established all-weather strategic partnership, Sun Mingxi, charge d'affaires at the Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia, said the China-Ethiopia Friendship Award is meant to help Ethiopians gain a deeper understanding of China and study China-Ethiopia relations.
"Learning Chinese, and studying China and China-Ethiopia relations help better understand China's distinctive major-country diplomacy and better promote our cooperation, in a bid to safeguard the common interests of the Global South," he said.
Ekram Ahmed, one of the award recipients, said the scholarship provides him and his fellow students with an opportunity to delve deep into China, a country they had previously only known through television, movies and social media.
"Now we have developed a deeper understanding of China's beautiful culture, advanced technology and impressive developmental achievements," said Ahmed, who is also a Chinese language student at the Confucius Institute of the AAU.
