ADDIS ABABA, March 30 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has hailed his country's strong economic ties with China.

A train runs on the Ethiopia-Djibouti railway during an operational test near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Oct. 3, 2016. Africa's first modern electrified railway -- the Ethiopia-Djibouti railway built by Chinese firms, is set to become fully operational on Wednesday. (Photo: Xinhua)

At a press conference at the Prime Minister's Office in the capital, Addis Ababa, on Thursday evening, Ahmed said strong institutionalized economic ties with China has helped Ethiopia achieve double digit growth for more than a decade.

"The Ethiopia-China ties will continue to grow stronger," he said.

Ahmed said China has been and continues to be a strong supporter of Ethiopia.

"The Chinese government is our biggest supporter in the Addis Ababa city beautification scheme, with China providing generous grant for the project," he said.

"The Chinese government was our strongest development partner yesterday and continues to be our strongest development partner today," Ahmed said.

He called on China to maintain its strong economic development partnership with his country, as Ethiopia works to follow China's success in poverty alleviation and economic development.

Cover image: Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed delivers a speech during a meeting with French President on March 12, 2019 in Addis Ababa. (File photo: VCG)