Will Ethiopia be Saved by China?

Ethiopia has one of the world's most rapidly growing populations, yet is mired in poverty, despite billions of dollars in aid money. The Economist has recently reviewed a new book on Ethiopia that takes a critical look at the progress, or lack thereof, that the country has made under the 20 year rule of Meles Zenawi (Famine and Foreigners: Ethiopia Since Live Aid, by Peter Gill, London:OUP). Two things stand out in the review: (1) "The most menacing problem, Ethiopia's rapidly growing population, is almost never discussed;" and (2) the Chinese have become an important presence in Ethiopia, as they have elsewhere in Africa, and Gill suggests that Ethiopia may be saved by China. At the same time, however, the reviewer notes that "the Chinese might be building a lot of roads, but it is not at all evident that they are helping to tackle the issues of land [the persistence of small landholdings that are under-productive] and population.