China's telecom company vows to support Ethiopia's green growth strategy

The Chinese telecom company ZTE has expressed its commitment to supporting Ethiopia's green growth strategy by actively participating in the annual tree planting program in the East African country.

About 100 ZTE staffs on Tuesday conducted a tree seedling transplanting event at an area in Gulele Sub-City of Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa.

ZTE planted about 2,000 trees in 2013 around the area, which lies on the Entoto mountain chain in memory of the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who passed away in 2012, according to Zhang Jintao, Deputy CEO of ZTE Ethiopia.

In his remarks on the occasion, Zhang expressed his company's firm commitment to supporting Ethiopia's efforts in the green growth path.

"We are here to plant 2,000 seedlings with the theme of Green action tree planting," he said, "Ethiopia's green growth strategy is key to not only ensure speedy growth of the economy, but also to sustain it, through protecting the environment."

"In this era of climate change, Ethiopia's determination to follow a different path is appreciable and ZTE is committed to supporting this effort in every way possible," he said.

As part of its corporate citizenship, the Deputy CEO stated that ZTE has been participating in different social activities including among others building and equipping elementary schools with educational material, supporting the orphanage, the elderly and the needy, and offering free training to college and university students.

He also mentioned that the company has provided support to Ethiopian athletes in the Olympic games and to development association while giving sponsorship backup for local film producers.

While operating in the country, ZTE will continue to carry out such social activities and execute its responsibility steady flow, noted Zhang.

Wondossen Shiferaw, Natural Resource Conservation Program Coordinator at the Gulele Sub-City Environment Protection Office, noted that the office has planned to transplant more than 60,000 tree seedlings this year, of which more than 40,000 in forest areas and more than 20,000 in residential areas.

Having hailed the contribution of ZTE to the environment protection and conservation effort by participating in tree planting activity, the Program Coordinator has called for the need to take care of the already planted trees towards the success of the program.

"In addition to what they (ZTE) are doing there, they are contributing something in the environment because environment is a common property. It is everyone's asset, they are contributing their own share in addition to their work there, so, I appreciate their activities, what they are doing," he said.

Some of the Chinese and local ZTE staffs told Xinhua that they are happy about their participation in the tree planting program.

Zeng Qing, a Chinese network engineer at the company, said ZTE's participation in the tree planting further strengthens the cooperation and friendship between the peoples of Ethiopia and China.

"I am glad to join this planting tree activity. I think it is meaningful for both of us. ZTE and the Ethiopian people," he said.

Abi Eshetu is a local staff and he was participating in the tree planting program for the second time.

"We came here to participate in tree seedling planting, we have been doing before. This is not only participating in network expansion or network building but also we have a social responsibility to build among that planting trees is one of it," he said.

"I am really proud of it, doing it because we are planting trees for the next generations not only for ourselves. We are also fighting the global warming as well. So, this is a great moment for us," said Abi.