

Ethiopia and China

Looking east

Meles Zenawi’s new best pal

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“In 50 years time China's economic star will have risen and waned”, he says.

Why 50 years, why not 150 years like Brits did, or 250 years like Tang dynasty did? Or…..

Anyone who thinks or clings to the wish that China will continue its growth based on inexpensive labor intensive economy, or that Africa will never come up on top of the world deserves to have his brain re-washed, with Clorox this time around.


After years of enduring begging bowl famine syndrome, it seems that the Ethiopians can finally find themselves out of the wood with a successful developmental model.


Colonialism and trade both seek a country's resources, the difference is the former acquire them at the end of a rifle while the latter at the negotiating table, western minds seem unable to comprehend the difference.


As Stick2datruf said "Europe and America have raped and pillaged Africa"....

I just can't wait for the realisation that China is doing the exact same thing.... albeit slower, friendlier and more methodical than the empires that came before!

In 50 years time China's economic star will have risen and waned and all that will have changed for Africa is that they had their wealth pillage by someone different.... I'm pretty sure they will still blame the West though - must be great to claim successes as your own but failure as someone elses.


I don’t see anything wrong to urging Ethiopia to follow China’s model. It appears that the West only wants to keep Ethiopia at where it is at, depending on the West for humanitarian aids and handout from time to time.

What China is doing is to help bring Ethiopia out of poverty through development and trades, just like China has been doing.

Dire Dawa

You can say whatever you want on Meles, but look at it this way; under Meles, Ethiopia has one of the fastest growing economies in the world, stable security wise in a very turbulent region and attracting foreign investment. For that I will give him 9.99 out of 10.

I know the Amharas are bitter on this SOB Tigray ruling the country, but they will have to be used to it like the Sunnis in Iraq. Incidentally, he is not the first Tigray to rule Ethiopia (read history books).

I am Ethiopian born Yemeni and have visited all the provinces. My God, Tigrays are unique; really hardworking people. Their houses are made of stones; that you don't find anywhere in Ethiopia. That reflects their tough personality.

I think Ethiopians should be rational and support this guy (Meles). If, as one the writers suggested he is grooming his daughter to be next PM, then let it be. Then, Ethiopia will have the first woman PM.

Finally, Ethiopia has made the best strides in education per the UN. What else do you want from him.

Leave this guy alone. He is doing a good job.


PM Meles and his team are the best ever hope for Ethiopia. So far so impressive. If things continue like they are now for the next 10 to 20 years, Ethiopia will be stable, prosperous, self-reliant country. China should continue building Ethiopia and Africa and the West should continue giving us Condoms and wheat for some short period years.

yosef Abraham

Zenawi is a founding member of TPLF(Tigrean People Libration Front)An Ethnic libration front and MLLT(Marxsisit Leninist League of Tigrai ) Communist wing of that very Same Ethnic organization.
After Scumming and milking the west for solid 20 yrs and made his Junta Circles Multi millioniars and built EFFORT( Endowment Fund For Rehabilitation of Tigrai) he felt he is on top of the World that is all dictators common charachters.Knowing Mr Zenawi's Chamalliot and Oppostunistic nature I will not be Surprised if he find a new pal to be Exploited further by his Libration Front Gangsters and Their Benficiaries/Supporters


The Economist is hang up on Ethiopia and the Ethiopian governmnet. It is shrilling about its relationship with China. Economist, buzz off. How Ethiopia conducts its foreign policy is none of your business. If Ethiopia is seeking loan from China so what? Isn't the United States the largest borrower of China's money? Stop your blackmailing of Meles and his government. EPRDF is doing a good job in Ethiopia. We know better.




As a neo-liberal ardent supporter, I didn't expect an article that advocates the move of the Developmental and democratic government in Ethiopia from your magazine. However, one thing should be clear that our government is not only against the western very tied aid, but it is also commenting the fact that the support from China is coming only in the form of loan. Therefore, from this we can infere that the Ethiopian government is the most civilized form of government that basis its foreing relation on a very balanced parameter. China is our best pal not because of its maoist ideology, but because of her good terms of partnership, that is not like you lose, I win type. Instead her terms are you win, I win, which is exactly the 21st century thinking.
So, the economist and others like it should learn from this noble partnership, rather than criticizing it by looking at it with an eye glass that is made of the 19th century thinking (you lose, I win model of thinking).

Bisrat Girma

I can see Meles with the help of China is at the forefront of the black African resistance against neo-liberal ideology, and then it is well done Meles. After all, what is good about neo-liberalism? Isn't it is all about cultural imperialism, unfair terms of tread and cannibalistic exploitation of the poor countries resources?

I don't think this article is a critique of Meles's government in Ethiopia, the real issue is not whether Birtukan is in prison or out of prison, whether Meles kept the old guards in government key position or reshuffle them with new ones, the criticism is constant without regard of the action, then the criticism about his internal administration is a pretext to advance an ulterior motive. I think the real issue is a global ideological struggle: a new type of cold war against China and her allies.


That is why I like the economist. The article shows that the economist has understood the real nature of Zenawi's dictatorial, minority and ethnocentric regime. As an Amhara, I know that even 1 percent of the people of the Amhara don't support Zenawi. They have been bitten by the security people to show loyalty. My relatives have suffered a lot because of their support to the oppositions. As the recent Human Rights Watch report showed Zenawi uses aid money for political support. Truth must be told, Zenawi couldn't survive a day, had there been a fair and free national election. People talk about economic development, but imagine how much Zenawi got in aid in the past 20 years. It is more than 40 billion dollar. But look the national budget, it is even less than 4 billion dollar out of which around 3 billion is covered by foreign aid. It is amazing that more than 75 % of the people don't have pure water. For show, Zenawi buillds roads, but the roads don't have quality. They won't survive more than three months before they turn into a well. Some people affiliated with the regime are becoming millioners over night, but the majority are leaving fast the poverty line , and join the dying group. That is Ethiopia.
The Economist please report more about Ethiopia. There is the Human Rights recent report that can give you more information about the country. Ethiopia is turned a communist country, everybody becoming a cadre overnight. Weldone for your wonderful job.

Tedi from ethiopia

I wonder what the Chinese economist would write about the same topic. Yet, most of us are unlucky to read it or listen to it as we dont know Chinese. Any how, as a proud Ethiopian, I am not happy about how his auther is arguing about Ethiopia and China relations. And similarly, I am also not happy about the Western aid. It just doesnot drive my country any where. Chinese loan? Yes, we know it is visible everywhere accross the country. So, I say GO CHINA and Please west learn from China. Democracy, human right etc... will get better with time as we make a tantigible economic development.


there is only one thing i don`t like about africans ingeneral. it is, that their way of handling and responding for articles written about their respective countries. my fellow africans please remeber this: just because some wellknow newspaper or magazine or website posted something about your country, that doesnot mean the author is correct. so please don`t just jump to it and post damaging comments . next time before commenting , try to learn looking not only east but also to the west.
are we there yet?


As usual the economist is presenting a biased and flawed article when it comes to Ethiopia. I wonder what the true motive is.......and so arrogant and non professional too.



The arrogance of this newspaper is infuriating. Do you really believe that Europe and America have been good for Africa, and that following the Chinese model is bad? Please. Europe and America have raped and pillaged Africa, and have never cared about human rights or dictators in the past. Europe and America feign concern now because their biggest rival is actually doing productive things in Africa. This newspaper is trying to hold on to the last vestigates of British colonial power. Well, its a new world.

Oh, and the damn on the Omo river is controversial only because some middle class white people with no other purpose in life think they should dictate Africa's development. Europe and America are free to develop their cities while Africans must remain poor so white people can have their exotic vacation destinations unspoilt! This is the crazy view perpetrated by Europe and America.

As for Kenya being farther developed than Ethiopia, the two nations are not comparable. Ethiopia is large and sprawling and mountainous. Moreover, Ethiopia had suffered from the Derg regime and before that was a feudal society. Whereas in Kenya, the Brits built up the infrastructure (albeit for their own purposes) and had introduced Western society to the country. Ethiopia has to catch up, but once it does, and it will, no other nation will be able to match it.

Finally, Birtukan is a unwitting, though well-intentioned, tool of the enemieis of Ethiopia. What Ethiopia needs is development, not multi party democracy. Do you think one would rather not see their family die of malaria and other curable diseases, or do you think they want to vote for the PM?


This one hits the nail right on the head.

Not only is the security apparatus controlled by Tigrians, more than 98% of the army's top leadership positions are controlled by Tigrians. I am not making this up. You can do your own look into it. Tigrians constitute only 6% of the entire population and Zenawi has instituted ethnic based federalism which has created a huge fissure into the various ethnic groups. One can tell what this means. To make matters worse, US and recently Germany pour millions to this one ethnic army in the name of combating Islamist terrorists operating in Somalia. Zenawi threatens with the possibility of genocide in the scale of Rwanda a real possibility in today's Ethiopia. He has said it in the 2005 election and he has said it recently when he confessed jamming VOA. I just don't get it when the west keep on doing the same thing over and over again.

On the economic front, Zenawi runs together with his wife Azeb Mesfin(she is the deputy CEO of Effort) a multi million dollar business conglomerate called Effort. Which draws its income from the billions of dollars coming into the country in the name of foreign aid.

I don't agree with the assertion of Plurality. The recently anointed deputy Prime minister and foreign minister has just a couple of days back give two Tigrian deputies. If we go by the usual practice, these two will be with the real power. He will be fronting the whole sham making it look like Zenawi has shared power with the other ethnic groups.

Forget about stock exchange. Zenawi is reneging on his declared position of joining the WTO. Because, joining the WTO has a number of preconditions of market and telecom liberalization, among others.

Zenawi is not your run of the mill African dictator. He is the most shrewd Maoist you can think of. I have a well founded belief that he fosters and ferments terrorism or at least ignore conflicts until they go out of hand for he has been the sole beneficiary western terrorism fears in the region.

Zenawi has now reaches to the level that he can't even pretend that there is a semblance of democratic cred. He is showing his real face.

If the west really cares about peace and stability in the region, it is high time they reconsider their policy in the region and work with the pro democratic opposition. The may be weak and dis organized, but they are the only hope to bring a lasting stability in this precarious region.

Zenawi, largely because of his history and his base, won't be able to bring a lasting stability in the region. He might bring a veneer of it as he has so far succeeded, but not a lasting one.


the economist alyaws measure ethiopian gov behevior by measuring magnitude of ethio-china relation ship....dont you mind if their trade correlation is zero and people suffer from poverty, corruption, violation of human right , fear of speaking in public, bla bla bla......always ethio borrow from china this million dollars ..tired of reading your covered interest.

Kidus Addis

Mr. Meles is shrewd. He is leading a minority Tigrian regime that is repressive and has contempt for anyone - white or black and anything in between - and he knows that you can play with the minds of the West with terrorism and their waning economic might. He also know that the West is getting weaker and it has no leverage against him as his army and his security apparatus are impenetrable as they are from his kinship. It has been long since Meles shifted his views against liberal democracy as he had been held indispensable and the more crimes he committed against his people, he realized that he had to distance himself from the West and scheme for his stay in power. Now every gullible Westerner believes that he would step down in 2015. Aren't you guys tired of being fools and gullible. He won't step down until kingdom comes and in fact the talk in Ethiopia is that he is grooming his daughter to be his replacement. Meles is a killer and he knows he can't live without power. He plays the illusion of development and trick his gullible and greedy donors to stay in power.


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