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The Chinese presence in Ethiopia has been growing considerably in recent years. Mostly young, resourceful Ethiopians have found various ways to profit from Chinas engagement in their country. While cultural brokers execute agency within Ethio-China relations through translation, facilitation and mediation and by creating intercultural meaning and understanding, merchants on the “China Market” in Addis Ababa ameliorate their incomes by adapting to Chinese demands and by directly interacting with traders in China. However, a deep inequality of opportunities and limited agency was observed. Workers and daily labourers are regularly victims of exploitation. Chinese employers actively profit from low labour costs, the absence of a minimum wage and weak enforcement of labour rights by the Ethiopian government. Strict hierarchies and exploitative work regimes in Chinese factories, as well as a challenging socio-economic environment, leave very little room for purposeful actions, inventiveness and creativity. Capabilities to act out agency in the interaction with Chinese migrants are unevenly distributed and depend on education, language skills, financial and social resources. Dominant narratives about China's activities in Africa have proven to be misleading to describe the situation in Ethiopia. China is neither “neo-colonising” Ethiopians, nor is the Chinese presence “mutually beneficial” for all actors involved.