Ethiopian Day unveiled with a cup of coffee

Visitors tasted pure Ethiopian coffee last Friday to celebrate Ethiopian Day during the ongoing International Horticultural Exhibition in Beijing.

As one of the Ethiopian Day celebrations, the Ethiopian embassy offered plain Ethiopian coffee at its exhibition area where Ethiopian art crafts and specialties are showcased.

Ethiopia is the fifth biggest national coffee producer, with an average annual export of about $800 million, accounting for 25 to 30 percent of the country's total export income.

Ethiopia targets the Chinese market for more investment and sales as China has seen a double-digit growth in coffee consumption.

Ethiopian Ambassador to China Teshome Toga expressed his gratitude for China organizing the Horticultural Expo in a speech and also vowed to upgrade bilateral cooperation to a new level in investment, trade, tourism and cultural exchanges.

Ethiopian Day coincides with the country's New Year -- Ethiopia has a calendar around seven to eight years later than the Gregorian calendar adopted by most countries. A gala event was held with Ethiopian artists dancing and singing to mark the occasion.

Themed "Live Green, Live Better", the Beijing horticultural expo is the world's largest of its kind. It opened to the public on April 29 in Yanqing district and will last until Oct 7.

Video by Dai Yuanyuan