Leader showed interest in China

Meles Zenawi often visited China and showed great interest in the country's rapid economic emergence and culture, said He Wenping, an expert on African studies with Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, who met and spoke with the late prime minister.

"Over recent years, relations between China and Ethiopia have been very smooth, especially in bilateral trade and exchanges of high-level visits between the two countries," she said on Tuesday.

"China has boosted its investment in Ethiopia, which is not rich in resources. The big projects such as the country's Eastern Industry Zone, sponsored by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce,has played an important role in the local economic development, especially in its manufacturing industry," she said.