On December 13, 2023, Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Affairs of the Foreign Ministry Xue Bing visited Samara, the capital of the Afar region of Ethiopia, and met with President Awol Arba. Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia Xue Wei was present.

Xue Bing said that in October this year, the leaders of China and Ethiopia jointly decided to elevate bilateral relations to an all-weather strategic cooperative partnership. China is ready to take it as an opportunity to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with Ethiopia at all levels and in various fields, support relevant areas in Ethiopia, including the Afar region, in carrying out post-conflict reconstruction and economic development, and make greater progress in the implementation of the "Outlook on Peace and Development in the Horn of Africa".

Awol Arba said that upon invitation, he visited China not long ago and witnessed the tremendous achievements made in China's development. He was deeply impressed and admired. He thanked China for its strong support for the development of all parts of Ethiopia, including the Afar region. He expressed readiness to create a better security and business environment for Chinese enterprises to invest and do business in the Afar region.

During his visit, Xue Bing also met with Police Commissioner Alidini Alesa and visited Samara University.