Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on Wednesday hailed ties between his country and China, saying people to people, government to government and party to party relationship between the two countries is gaining momentum.

The remarks came after Meles met with Yan Li, the mayor of China's Suzhou city, who leads a Chinese delegation in Addis Ababa for a visit.

The Ethiopian prime minister said his country is desirous of learning more from the advanced industrialization of Suzhou city.

Yan told journalists after meeting with Meles that he had fruitful talks with the Ethiopian prime minister.

"We talked about the long friendship between China and Ethiopia. We also talked about the Eastern Industrial Zone project, " Yan said.

The Eastern Industrial Zone, about 35 km south of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, is developed by the municipal government of Suzhou.

The mayor also said that as the project is for mutual benefit of the two sides, China would continue providing the necessary support to make the project a success.

Also on Wednesday, the Chinese delegation had discussions with Abadula Gemeda, the administration chief of the Oromia Regional state where the project is being carried out.