BEIJING OLYMPICS IMPRESS ETHIOPIA

UNCLAS ADDIS ABABA 002837 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV ET CH SUBJECT: BEIJING OLYMPICS IMPRESS ETHIOPIA REF: STATE 105510 ¶1. (U) Discussions with Ethiopian officials, political opposition leaders, and professional colleagues suggest that China impressed Ethiopia by hosting one of the most precisely orchestrated and technically impressive Olympic Games in memory. While news of pre-games demonstrations did reach the Ethiopian press, most urban Ethiopians saw the games as a masterfully hosted athletic competition. As Ethiopia entered the games from a position of strong bilateral relations with China, if anything the games confirmed to some Ethiopians the appropriateness of China as a strong partner. While impressed with the level of China's development which the games' coverage highlighted, some Ethiopian opinion leaders have questioned at what cost such development has come, and whether it is worth it. ¶2. (U) Throughout the two weeks of mid-August, television sets around the country were tuned to the Olympics. As Ethiopia's electronic media is dominated by the government -- which, itself, has long complained of press bias highlighting Ethiopia's own human rights record and questions of political space -- the games were overwhelmingly covered as a sporting competition rather than as a platform for broader public discussion on developments in China or juxtaposing those to local conditions. The Ethiopian print and electronic media, particularly Ethiopian Television (ETV), throughout the games repeatedly highlighted China's great strides in development. Many interlocutors viewed the coverage as a subtle attempt by state-owned media to convince the public that a strong and focused leadership is the only path to development. ¶3. (SBU) While the games impressed Ethiopian viewers for the technology they put on display, fundamentally they did not alter government, media, or business perceptions of China significantly. One opposition law-maker expressed concern that there may be too many Chinese workers in Ethiopia, but this is not a major point of concern that the Embassy has heard from host country nationals. Instead, Ethiopia has a robust relationship with China and Chinese firms are active contributors to Ethiopia's infrastructural development. Despite China's obvious presence, particularly in the roads and construction sectors, Ethiopia has protected its objective of developing domestic capacity by limiting the Chinese worker presence and ensuring that Ethiopians make up a majority of project workforces including among more skilled positions. As a result, the Ethiopian public generally does not view China as an economic or employment sector threat. Against this positive backdrop, the Olympics only confirmed a positive view of China. YAMAMOTO