Face | An African student studying in China believes China has best industry

Sichale Abdissa, a coffee lover, recently appeared in the immersive tasting experience area of the Ethiopian National Pavilion at the third China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) held in Beijing, where she made coffee from her home country for Chinese and foreign visitors.

Abdissa is a doctoral student specializing in environmental science at Beijing Normal University. Having first visited China in 2018, she now considers the country to be her second home, and it is here that she completed her postgraduate studies. Interestingly, she studied civil engineering at undergraduate and postgraduate level, but changed her major for her doctorate.

"I wanted to have a different experience and an opportunity to discover the planet, as well as to help protect it," she explained in an interview with China Youth Daily.

Abdissa is currently interning at the Ethiopian Embassy in China. She came to the CISCE for the first time because she thought it would be a good way to bring people together, and she was really happy to join. What she found interesting about such a large-scale exhibition was that there are a lot of people, companies and cultures. "It's fascinating, and I want to explore it further." 

Abdissa was enthusiastic about promoting Ethiopian coffee to visitors. During the CISCE, the Chinese "Coffee Carver" brand exhibited high-quality coffee beans from renowned plateau-producing regions such as Yirgacheffe, Sidamo and Guji in Ethiopia. The tasting area was inspired by the traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony, aiming to recreate an African coffee culture scene with elements such as logs and pottery to make visitors feel as if they were on an Ethiopian coffee plantation.

During the interview, Abdissa repeatedly expressed her love for China and its people. She believes that China is a safe country with a convenient transport system and friendly people. The only thing she finds challenging is the hot weather in Beijing at times, which requires her to adapt as she is from the African continent. She still has two years until she graduates and hopes to have the opportunity to work in China by then. 

Abdissa described the rapid growth in cooperation between China and Ethiopia, and China and Africa. "Many companies are interested in collaborating with others and also in sending their employees and their children to study and work in China. So I think the relationship is getting stronger and stronger. A lot is happening," she said.

The CISCE was held under the theme of "Connecting the World for a Shared Future". Having joined the expo, Abdissa came to believe that healthy industrial and supply chains are a better way to connect. As an industrial powerhouse, China has made great efforts as the host country. "You can see how China's industry and manufacturing are growing, and how China is trying to connect the world to industry. Everybody can see that, right?" she said, "I think this is the best way to bring people and communities together. Many countries are working together for the betterment of the world."

Abdissa also has a deep understanding of free trade. Although she acknowledges that achieving true free trade is difficult, especially in the current environment, she believes it is necessary. "I would say a lot is happening in many different industries. Even so, we just need to keep going until we succeed," she said. (By Ma Ziqian/China Youth Daily)