STORY: China-assisted infrastructure projects lay foundation for Ethiopia's take-off: former Ethiopian PM
SHOOTING TIME: Recent footage
DATELINE: Sept. 2, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:15
LOCATION: Addis Ababa
CATEGORY: ECONOMY/POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of a China-built railway in Ethiopia
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): HAILEMARIAM DESSALEGN, Former Ethiopian Prime Minister
3. various of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): HAILEMARIAM DESSALEGN, Former Ethiopian Prime Minister

STORYLINE:

China-Ethiopia economic ties have been benefiting the infrastructure construction of Ethiopia, said Hailemariam Dessalegn, former Ethiopian Prime Minister in a recent interview with Xinhua.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): HAILEMARIAM DESSALEGN, Former Ethiopian Prime Minister
"I see there are two benefits. One is there is infrastructure deficit in Ethiopia. Any country to move very fast in economic and social development needs proper infrastructure in place. China has already developed that capacity, and Ethiopia is still developing that capacity. So, having Chinese construction and engineering companies will help to bring about this change at the initial stage of our development. The second benefit is that Chinese companies are developing Ethiopia's capacity for the future of the country. That doesn't exclude other companies to come in, but we should have our own in-house capacity to build our own infrastructure in the future. So China is playing two major roles in this regard."

Dessalegn also highlighted several China-funded infrastructure projects, including the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway, calling them critical to Ethiopia's future development.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): HAILEMARIAM DESSALEGN, Former Ethiopian Prime Minister
"We have a number of projects that can be cited, which are constructed by Chinese companies. In terms of long-term benefits, the railway project is the most important, as far as I am concerned, because it's a bloodline for a landlocked country like Ethiopia. I think Chinese construction companies are globally becoming the best at this moment, with their speedy construction as well as quality construction that is taking place, improving from time to time, of course. I believe these major projects, major undertakings, are the basis for Ethiopia's future take-off."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Addis Ababa.
(XHTV)