(Xinhua) — China has granted scholarships to 52 Ethiopian students this year to sponsor their study in civil engineering, architecture and political science in China, Chinese embassy said in Addis Ababa Sunday.

These students, who will leave for China within a month, will be attending courses in undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD degrees, said Song Yanqun, cultural counselor of the Chinese embassy, to journalists.

It is a significant step taken by the Chinese government to honor its commitments made at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in November last year, said Song.

China pledged at the summit to increase the number of Chinese government scholarships to African students from 2,000 per year to 4,000 per year by 2009 as part of China's commitment to strengthening cooperation with Africa.