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Ethiopia

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Ethiopia. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Addis Ababa

Head of State

President Sahle-Work Zewde

Head of Government

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (second from left) poses with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan (second from right), Tanzanian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Thabit Kombo (right) and China’s ambassador to Tanzania Chen Mingjian (left) at the State House in Dar es Salaam on Saturday. Photo: AFP / State House Tanzania

China-Africa relations

China urges Tanzania to back multilateralism, will ‘stand together’ with Africa

Top diplomat Wang Yi also reaffirms support for Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

11 Jan 2026 - 8:11PMvideocam

China-Africa relations

China FM Wang Yi opens Africa tour with united call for rules-based order

9 Jan 2026 - 2:47PMvideocam

China’s military drills

China to lead joint naval drills with Brics nations in South African waters

3 Jan 2026 - 2:02PMvideocam

Middle East

Saudi-UAE rivalry explodes into view after strike in war-torn Yemen

Gulf powers Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are at odds over rival factions and a deepening struggle for regional pre-eminence.

2 Jan 2026 - 2:09PM

Damaged military vehicles, allegedly sent by the United Arab Emirates to support Southern Transitional Council separatist forces, following an air strike carried out by the Saudi-led coalition in the port of Mukalla, southern Yemen on December 30. Photo: AFP

China-Africa relations

Washington lines up health deals as US and China vie for access to Africa

Signatories must guarantee that genetic sequence data and samples from potential outbreaks are shared with the US within 5 days of detection.

30 Dec 2025 - 4:07PMvideocam

China-Africa relations

Chinese workers return to Africa as lucrative job opportunities beckon

Large-scale, China-backed projects entice contract workers to take up posts in some African nations, while political instability keeps others away.

21 Dec 2025 - 8:00PMvideocam

China-Africa relations

‘Concrete symbols’: China-built Ecowas HQ latest infrastructure gift to Africa

Beijing’s strategy to project influence through gifting prestigious presidential palaces and parliamentary buildings labelled ‘unique’.

13 Dec 2025 - 5:53PMvideocam

Chinese ambassador to Nigeria Yu Dunhai with Dr Omar Touray, president of the Ecowas Commission, in Abuja on December 4. Du visited the US$32 million China-built Ecowas headquarters in the Nigerian capital.
Photo: X/YDunhai

China exports

Waste to wealth: why China is building incinerators around the world

China’s economic slowdown has left its waste-to-energy sector without enough trash to burn. So, companies are heading overseas.

11 Dec 2025 - 11:21AM

Malaysia

Can Malaysia gain foothold in Africa against entrenched competition?

While Africa may offer ‘long-term opportunities’, analysts say Malaysia can only gain traction by focusing on areas with clear strengths.

20 Nov 2025 - 6:30PM

Britain

UK police search London for asylum seeker after mistaken release

The Ethiopian national was sentenced to 12 months in prison for sexual assault. His arrest in September sparked anti-migrant protests across Britain.

25 Oct 2025 - 8:58PM

Police officers escort protesters near the Bell Hotel in Epping, London, on August 31, after a temporary injunction that would have blocked asylum seekers from being housed at the hotel was overturned, including Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu. Photo: AP

Britain

UK migrant sex offender freed from jail by mistake instead of being deported

Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu’s crimes had sparked protests at the hotel where he was housed with other migrants.

25 Oct 2025 - 6:17AM

Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, was jailed last month for sexually assaulting a teenage girl and a woman. Photo: Essex police

China-Africa relations

China’s global goal for yuan boosted by Ethiopian hopes for loan currency swap

The East African nation and fellow Brics member is the latest country to seek a switch, accelerating the yuan’s internationalisation.

23 Oct 2025 - 7:00PMvideocam

Africa

36 killed when scaffolding at Ethiopia church collapses

Over 200 people were injured and some remain trapped under the rubble, authorities say.

2 Oct 2025 - 7:40AM

China-Africa relations

Will China step in as Egypt and Ethiopia spar over Beijing-backed Nile mega dam?

Beijing’s strong ties put it in better position to mediate than any other third party, but an expert says China is unlikely to intervene.

14 Sep 2025 - 12:10PM

The US$5 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is a national source of pride for Ethiopians. Downstream Egypt believes the dam will threaten its water supply. Photo: AFP

Africa

Ethiopia opens Africa’s largest dam amid Egyptian protest

The project is set to provide energy to millions in the region but is seen by Cairo as an existential threat that endangers its water supply.

10 Sep 2025 - 1:09PM

The dam measuring 1,800 metres in length and 170 metres in height is Africa’s largest. Photo: AFP

China-Africa relations

A new model for peace? China takes its Global Security Initiative to Africa

From Somalia to Ethiopia, Chinese training scholarships are the start of an alternative to Western-led alliances.

30 Aug 2025 - 6:42PMvideocam

SCMP Highlights

‘Western hegemony is over’; lessons from Ukraine war: SCMP daily highlights

From American economist Jeffrey Sachs on US sabre-rattling to China’s youth seeking job stability, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage.

4 Aug 2025 - 9:15PM

Middle East

At least 76 dead, dozens missing after migrant boat sinks off Yemen

Yemeni security forces were conducting operations to recover a ‘significant’ number of bodies.

4 Aug 2025 - 4:45PM

Fishing boats in the Gulf of Aden. Dozens of migrants died when a boat carrying around 150 people sank off Yemen’s coast in bad weather on Sunday. File photo: Shutterstock

China-Africa relations

China pledges support for peaceful development in Horn of Africa

Beijing’s special envoy Xue Bing tells a regional conference that ‘all parties should engage in dialogue’ to achieve common prosperity.

4 Aug 2025 - 3:00PMvideocam

China-Africa relations

China-built satellite station a ‘shining’ example of support for Namibia

China backs Africa’s growing space industry by funding and building a data receiving ground station in Namibian capital.

2 Aug 2025 - 8:00PMvideocam

Britain

UK teenager admits plotting terror attack with gun

Muhammad Billal’s terror attack planning involved researching ‘accessible shooting ranges’ and ‘chest rigs’ designed to hold ammunition.

18 Jul 2025 - 9:25PM

Muhammad Billal, 18, sought advice and guidance on how to leave Britain without arousing suspicion. Photo: AFP

United States

Boeing settles with Canadian father who lost family in Ethiopian 737 Max crash

The agreement came just days before the first trial for the 2019 crash that led to a worldwide grounding of Max jets was scheduled to start.

12 Jul 2025 - 8:38AM

Rescuers at the scene of an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 plane crash near Bishoftu, south of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on March 11, 2019. Photo: AP

Brics

Brics draws Trump anger, few leaders

The Brics summit sparked a threat of extra tariffs from US President Donald Trump, even without the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders.

7 Jul 2025 - 5:00PM

Brics

Rio mounts major security operation for Brics summit

About 20,000 military personnel to guard leaders, fighter jets to patrol skies.

4 Jul 2025 - 6:20AM

Brics

Questions loom at Brics Rio summit about group’s effectiveness

Emerging economy leaders gather amid geopolitical tensions, frayed Washington alliances under Trump trade policy.

3 Jul 2025 - 5:13AMvideocam

Official Brics signage lines the avenue outside Rio’s Museum of Modern Art, the designated venue for the leaders’ summit scheduled for July 6-7.

China-Africa relations

The growing risks for Chinese companies in conflict-ridden African nations

Chinese firms admit their very survival could be threatened by geopolitical risks, unrest and security threats in unstable African countries.

23 Jun 2025 - 10:00AMvideocam

Miners at work at a coltan mining site in the town of Rubaya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Chinese firms are increasingly admitting they face high risks operating in conflict-ridden African nations which could impact on their survival.
Photo: Xinhua

Donald Trump

Trump complains about Nobel Peace Prize snub over Congo-Rwanda peace deal

The US president has confirmed that the two countries will be in Washington next week to sign a deal to end their conflict.

21 Jun 2025 - 9:25AM

Thailand

Meet Thailand’s first-ever Miss World: Suchata Chuangsri

The 22-year-old Phuket native – who speaks Mandarin, English and Thai – plans to use her new platform to champion breast cancer awareness.

2 Jun 2025 - 12:15PM

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