In the afternoon of May 5, 2014, Premier Li Keqiang, accompanied by Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn of Ethiopia, visited the light railway project in Addis Ababa.

The light railway project in the city of Addis Ababa is the first urban light rail in Ethiopia and even in East Africa, and it is also the first urban rail transport project in Africa contracted to Chinese enterprises.

Hailemariam Desalegn went to the hotel to meet Li Keqiang, and then the two Premiers took the same car to the construction site at the downtown square. Under the scorching sun, Li Keqiang, together with Hailemariam Desalegn, walked for 400 meters along a slope and clambered up to a 10-meter-high viaduct. While proceeding, he asked about the progress and quality management of the project as well as the local employment it absorbed. Li Keqiang showed his affirmation when told that this project adopted Chinese technologies from design, construction to equipment and operation. He said that the quality of the project must be guaranteed so as to forge the brand of the Chinese railway. We should share our experience in railway construction with Africa, share China's mature technologies, fulfill our task of training local workers in Africa and offer more job opportunities to the local people.

Seeing the Chinese and Ethiopian workers laying a railway track, Li Keqiang squatted down to chat with them. Together with Prime Minister Hailemariam and the local workers, he took a wrench to tighten the screws on the track. Li Keqiang told the workers to be sophisticated for the construction work, ensure the timing and the quality of the project, aiming to bring long-time benefits to the African people with the China-constructed railway. A "highland" should be forged with these cooperative projects one after another, to push more Chinese equipment truly going global, achieving mutual benefit and win-win results.

Li Keqiang took a group photo with the Chinese workers. He encouraged them to be pioneers and forerunners for Chinese equipment going global. He asked the workers to take care of themselves and pay attention to their own safety since they work in a highland area overseas.

Premier Li Keqiang's wife Mme. Cheng Hong, accompanied by Ethiopian Prime Minister's wife Roman, visited Addis Ababa University the same day. She had an interaction with the faculties and students of the university.