On the afternoon of June 27, at the fifth Congress of the members of China National Textile And Apparel Council and a Five-time council and a Five-time standing council, the launch ceremony of the "China (Ethiopia) Textile Light Industry Enterprise Sustainable Development Alliance" (Alliance) was successfully held. Duan Xiaoping, vice president of China National Textile and Apparel Council, presided over the ceremony. More than 1,300 leaders and representatives of the member units and member units of China National Textile and Apparel Council witnessed the establishment of the alliance.

Ethiopia has a rich history of spinning and weaving textiles. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Ethiopia more than 50 years ago, the two countries have deepened political mutual trust and achieved fruitful results in practical cooperation in the economy, trade, and other fields. China has become Ethiopia's largest source of investment and trading partner. In recent years, Ethiopia's textile industry has attracted the attention of many domestic investors, and China has accounted for nearly half of the investment in foreign textile and apparel projects. The investment and construction of factories by Chinese enterprises in Ethiopia have created tens of thousands of jobs and brought hundreds of millions of US dollars in revenue to the local economy and society, which has made a significant contribution to the local economy and social development and become a source of strength for the continuation of China- Ethiopia friendly relations. In Ethiopia's 10-year Plan: The Road to Prosperity 2021-2030 development plan, the textile and garment industry, including the cotton industry, is included in the development focus of the manufacturing industry.
Since 2019, under the cooperation framework between the governments of China, Germany, and Ethiopia, China National Textile and Apparel Council has jointly implemented the project Environmental, Society and Governance Performance of Ethiopian Textile and Garment Enterprises with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Ethiopian Textile Industry Development Research Institute (ETIDI). Currently, the Social Responsibility Office of China National Textile and Apparel Council has completed the first phase of the project research work and is implementing the second phase of the plan of capacity improvement and industry public service.

At the beginning of 2021, eight Chinese textile, garment, and light industry enterprises investing in Ethiopia launched an initiative, hoping to establish the China (Ethiopia) Textile light Industry Enterprise Sustainable Development Alliance with the support of China National Textile and Apparel Council, and rely on China National Textile and Apparel Council to establish the management and operation mechanism of the Alliance. The Alliance initiative enterprises hope to unite Chinese textile and light industry enterprises investing and operating in Ethiopia, discuss good policies, seek jointly development, overcome difficulties together, jointly advocate responsible and sustainable investment and management, and further provide institutional support and organizational guarantee for Chinese enterprises' continuous investment and business expansion in Ethiopia.

At the launch ceremony of the Alliance, Wei Changjun, chairman of Mina Textile Co., LTD., who is the proposed chairman of the Alliance and has been awarded the annual "Gold Taxpayer" award in Ethiopia for three consecutive years, introduced the mission and vision of the Alliance. He said that the Alliance,taking CSC9000T as the guidance, will create a communication, action, and dissemination platform for Chinese enterprises under the guidance of China National Textile and Apparel Council. In addition, a better corporate image will be established through the Alliance that helps Chinese enterprises to win a better business environment, thus promoting Ethiopia's economic, social and environmentally sustainable development and helping build a China-Africa community of shared destiny.

Duan Xiaoping, Vice president, congratulated the establishment of the Alliance on behalf of China National Textile And Apparel Council and expressed his high expectations for the Alliance. He hoped that with the strong support of all departments of China National Textile and Apparel Council, the Alliance and its participating enterprises could uphold the concept of amity and sincerity and the correct concept of justice and interests, and enhance awareness of cooperation, risk awareness and social responsibility of Chinese enterprises in Ethiopia. At the same time, we are committed to improving the ability of collective voice and action, the ability of industry diplomacy and the ability of local operation and work, build a high-level community of shared future between China and Africa with the Ethiopian parties.

Appendix:List of alliance interprises’ sponsors
(Sort in alphabetical order)
1. Antai (Deqing) Fashion Co., LTD
 
2. Huajian International Group
 
3. Jinda Holdings Limited
 
4. Wuxi Jinmao Foreign Trade Co., LTD
 
5. Zhejiang Mengna Socks Co., LTD
 
6. Zhejiang Mina Textile Co., LTD
 
7. Jiangsu Sunshine Group Co., LTD
 
8. Wuxi One cotton Textile Group