Addis Abeba- The China-Horn of Africa First Peace, Governance and Development Conference, the first of its kind, has commenced in Addis Abeba, today.
The conference will last for two days, mainly focusing on the themes of peace, development, and good governance. The event is being conducted with the underpinnings of China’s interests in working with the Horn of Africa (HoA) states to ensure that sustainable peace and development are consolidated. High-level participants arrived last night, including Xue Bing, the Chinese Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa, and other high-ranking dignitaries of the HoA region.
China has been investing in the HoA for quite some time, conducting extensive engagements chief of which is the up-and-coming Belt and Road Initiative, which aspires to interconnect the region with eastern and south-eastern Asia as well as Europe.
Addis Standard had previously reported on plans to hold a peace conference in the Ethiopian capital following the designation of Xue Bing as the Chinese special envoy to the region. The special envoy had traveled to Addis Abeba back in March and met Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen to discuss Chinese commitment to support HoA countries and express a willingness to assist in the areas of governance, development, and peace.
It is recalled that during his official visit to Kenya in January this year, the Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, said that conflicts and instability in the Horn of Africa, including Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan, threaten China’s substantial investments in eastern Africa and that China desires to promote a peace conference. AS
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