Source: Xinhua    Published: 2016-1-23

The G20 China year is inclusive and looks after issues related to the interests of African countries, has noted La Yifan, Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia.

The Ambassador made the remarks on Friday during a press conference organized in connection with the Chinese New Year Spring Festival on the premises of the Chinese Embassy in Addis Ababa, capital of the East African country.

Recalling that China took the presidency of the G20 last December, La said the G20 China year is inclusive that it focuses on current issues of global concern.

"Last December, China has taken over the presidency of the G20. And in fact, just last week, the first G20 Sherpa meeting was held in Beijing, which has laid out the roadmap and framework for China G20 year that is for the whole year, accommodating in the G2O summit, that is going to held in Hangzhou city, Zhenjiang province from the 4th to the 5th of September of this year, that is going to be the summit."

La also stated that there would be series of meetings throughout the year including, sessions of finance ministers, economic ministers, and central bankers of G20 members.

He reiterated that the G20 China year theme would be innovation, dynamism, inclusiveness of the economic growth.

The theme for this year is highly related to the current global economic situation that the G20 China year should focus on bringing back stability of the financial market, said the Ambassador.

"What has been related to the African continent, we believe that G20 is not a club of the wealthiest, it is also a platform for macro-economic coordination, international financial system governance, green growth, development issues, climate change, the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals, that is agreed upon by our leaders in New York last September, those are all issues related to the African countries," he said.

"So, for that reason, we also believe that G20 China year will also look after the issues that are close to the hearts and minds of the African countries. And of course, we hope there will also input from the African members of G20 in order to bring G20 China year fruitful, inclusive year," he added.

Speaking on the Chinese New Year Spring Festival, which is to be celebrated in two weeks time, the Ambassador said Chinese cultural troupes would go outside China and perform in different countries including Africa in connection with the Festival.

By performing outside China, the Chinese troupes will celebrate the Festival together with different nations around the world while promoting Chinese folk culture to the rest of the world and also strengthening China`s cultural exchanges with other nations.

"As in the past during the Chinese traditional Spring Festival, there is going to be a Chinese cultural troupe that is supposed to travel to the outside world to try to celebrate this biggest Chinese Traditional Festival together with the international community, at the same time, they demonstrate the Chinese folk culture dance, acrobatics," stated the Ambassador.

He further said a Chinese cultural troupe from Hunan province would come to Ethiopia to conduct two performances in Ethiopia.

This time the Spring Festival falls on the 8th February, which is two weeks away from now, he noted.

"Among different art troupes, that is going to travel abroad to many other countries, for Ethiopia there is Chinese folk culture troupe coming Hunan province. They are going to be arriving here on the 30th of January and leave for other African countries on the 3rd of February."

"Here in Ethiopia, they are going to hold two performances; and (they) celebrate the Festival together with Ethiopian brothers and sisters, namely there will be one performance held at the National Theatre (Ethiopia); and the other is reception plus cultural performance at the Hilton hotel," he said.

"They (the troupe) are going to strengthen the cultural exchanges between China and Ethiopia, and also strengthen the mutual understanding between two ancient civilizations," he added.