Beijing, May 14 (Xinhua) — Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin presided over a regular press conference on May 14.

A journalist asked: According to reports, the launch event on the six-year achievements and future outlook of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway and the handover ceremony were held in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. What is China's comment on this?

Wang Wenbin: The Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway is the first standard-gauge transnational electrified railway in East Africa, and also a flagship project of Belt and Road cooperation between China, Ethiopia and Djibouti. Since its completion, it has provided over 55,000 jobs for the local area, greatly enhanced connectivity between the two countries, and injected strong impetus into the economic and social development of Ethiopia and Djibouti.

We Chinese often say that "to teach a man to fish is more important than to give him a fish." The Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway is the best example of this. China has not only worked with Ethiopia and Djibouti to build a modern railway, but over the past six years has also completed training and certification for more than 2,800 local employees in the two countries, helping them build a highly capable localized team.

The launch event on the six-year achievements and future outlook of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway and the handover ceremony mark the successful conclusion of the operation and maintenance services involving the Chinese team, and also mean that the African side has fully taken over railway operations, which serves as a new starting point for the operation and development of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway. China will continue to cooperate with the two countries to build the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway into a road of prosperity that promotes win-win cooperation, jointly advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation between China and Africa, and contribute to the realization of common development between China and Africa.