[2] Figures provided by different sources from the Chinese embassy in Addis Ababa show a wide variance in population estimates.

[1] Also in 2007, the first 300 volunteers selected from among 10,000 applicants to a new Chinese government programme arrived in Ethiopia, Seychelles, and Zimbabwe.

[2] A landmark incident in Chinese perceptions of Ethiopia was the 2007 Abole oil field raid in which 74 workers including 9 from China were killed.

The rebels in the attack claimed that the target was the Ethiopian military and the Chinese were killed in explosions during the fighting.

[6] Howard French of The New York Times called the incident part of the learning curve for Chinese in understanding the risks of interaction in Africa but not a setback that would deter the Chinese from realizing that Africa would be "the stage where China's image as a global actor of the first rank will be forged.