The Chinese ambassador to Ethiopia said Tuesday the trade volume between China and Ethiopia exceeded 200 million US dollars for the first time by the end of 2004.

Ambassador Lin Lin also said the investment climate of Ethiopia is considered favorable to Chinese entrepreneurs.

In an interview with Chinese and Ethiopian journalists, he said that with a stable political climate, a conducive macro-economic policy, a steady exchange rate and a huge local market of about 70 million people, the investment climate of Ethiopia proved favorable to Chinese entrepreneurs.

He said China imports natural gum, coffee, hides and skins, and oil seeds like sesame from Ethiopia, while it exports light industry products, machinery, chemicals, medical products, building materials, textiles, and rubber products like tyres.

The Chinese government has been providing Ethiopia with development assistance in the area of infrastructure construction, technical cooperation, humanitarian aid, education, and health, he said, adding that the Chinese government has also been dispatching medical teams to Ethiopia in the past three decades.