Ethiopia and China have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening their longstanding military and strategic partnership, after Ethiopia’s Minister of Defence, Mohamed Idris, held talks with Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia Chen Hai in Addis Ababa on 3 November 2026. The two sides discussed ways to expand cooperation in the defence industry, technology transfer and military training, according to the Ethiopian News Agency (ENA).
They also agreed to further consolidate their longstanding and productive military ties and to raise bilateral strategic cooperation to a higher level.
The meeting was one of the first high-level engagements for Mohamed Idris in his new post. He moved from the Ministry of Peace to the Ministry of Defence in the cabinet that Ethiopia’s parliament approved in October 2026 under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
Defence industry, technology transfer and training
Minister Mohamed stressed the importance of sustaining the historic military partnership between the two countries while exploring wider areas of collaboration, particularly defence industrial development, technology transfer, and capacity building through training opportunities.
He also stated that Ethiopia’s efforts to safeguard its national interests contribute to regional and international peace and stability, and called on China to continue standing alongside Ethiopia.
For his part, Ambassador Chen Hai reaffirmed China’s interest in further deepening military and strategic ties with Ethiopia, ENA reported. The ambassador also expressed China’s readiness to expand cooperation in the defence industry, pointing to the positive outcomes already achieved through investment and bilateral engagement. Chen Hai has served in Addis Ababa since presenting his credentials in December 2024, when he was accompanied by the embassy’s defence attaché, Liu Zhaofeng.
Foreign ministry talks on the All-Weather Strategic Partnership
On 3 November, the ambassador also held talks with Ethiopia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gedion Timothewos, at which the two countries reaffirmed their commitment to further deepening their longstanding All-Weather Strategic Partnership, with a renewed focus on expanding cooperation in trade, investment and capacity building.
The two sides discussed ways to strengthen the longstanding and unwavering partnership between the two countries. During the meeting, they exchanged views on enhancing bilateral relations and agreed to deepen cooperation across key areas, particularly trade, investment and capacity building, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ambassador Chen Hai reaffirmed China’s commitment to sustaining and expanding its support for the successful implementation of the development plans of the Medemer government, the name Abiy’s administration takes from his political philosophy of “Medemer”, meaning synergy or coming together. The two meetings reflect the countries’ shared interest in advancing their strategic partnership and broadening economic and development cooperation.
Chinese equipment in Ethiopian service
The positive outcomes the ambassador referred to are visible in the inventory of the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF). Military Africa reported in January 2023 that Ethiopia had acquired Chinese SH-15 (PCL-181) 155 mm truck-mounted self-propelled howitzers, and in August 2024 that Ethiopian engineers had converted Chinese WZ-551 armoured personnel carriers into self-propelled artillery, an example of local adaptation of Chinese platforms.
Military-to-military links were formalised further in September 2024, when the ENDF Chief of General Staff, Field Marshal Birhanu Jula, led a delegation to the 11th Beijing Xiangshan Forum and signed a memorandum of understanding with General Liu Zhenli, Chief of the Joint Staff Department of the People’s Liberation Army, covering technology transfer, military equipment and capacity building.
A crowded field of partners in Addis Ababa
China is one of several partners Addis Ababa is courting. In the past week alone, Ethiopia took delivery of its first twelve Russian Su-35 fighters, with four S-400 air defence batteries expected to follow, and its Defence University opened an artificial intelligence and defence research laboratory with backing from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In October, Ethiopia’s ambassador to Pakistan visited Global Industrial and Defence Solutions (GIDS) to explore cooperation. The same push for technology transfer runs through all of these relationships, as Ethiopia seeks to build up its own defence industry rather than rely on finished imports alone.
Beijing’s stake in the Horn of Africa
Mohamed’s call for China to keep standing alongside Ethiopia comes as tensions with Eritrea persist and Addis Ababa presses its case for access to the Red Sea. China, which opened its first overseas military base in neighbouring Djibouti in 2017 and is one of Ethiopia’s largest sources of investment and infrastructure finance, has an interest in stability across the Horn of Africa. How far that interest translates into new arms sales, joint production or training places for Ethiopian officers will become clearer if the defence ministry talks are followed by agreements with named programmes and timelines.