- The Second China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo spread over an area of 94,000 square meters this year, opened on Sunday 26th September, in Changsha.
- The expo theme is “New Start, New Opportunities, and New Accomplishments.”
The Second China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo spread over an area of 94,000 square meters this year, opened on Sunday 26th September, in Changsha, capital of central China’s Hunan Province. The expo theme is “New Start, New Opportunities, and New Accomplishments.” According to the organisers, the four-day event, held both online and offline, has attracted participation from almost 900 enterprises from 40 African countries and China.
The event was first launched in 2019. The expo has merged as a major platform for strengthening economic and trade cooperation between China and African countries. This year’s expo focuses on potential products for China-Africa economic cooperation. African products and specialty products such as coffee and nuts are given primary importance. Separate sessions on areas of mutual interest such as food and agricultural products, the healthcare industry, financing, infrastructure and the private sector are also part of the event. Algeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa and Senegal are the guest countries of honor at the Expo.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Wang Bingnan, China’s vice minister of commerce, remarked that China-Africa economic and trade cooperation is going through a critical period of transformation. He hoped that initiatives like the expo will strengthen economic and trade cooperation and effectively promote China-Africa market connectivity.Liang Wengen, chairman of China’s machinery giant SANY Group said that it will focus on major engineering projects and infrastructure construction to provide cost-effective products to Africa. The company that started exporting to Africa in 2002 has long been a leader among Chinese exporters of machinery to the continent.
According to China’s Ministry of Commerce, China continues to be Africa’s largest trading partner for 12 consecutive years. Bilateral trade recorded a healthy growth this year, with trade volume rising 40.5 percent year on year to 139.1 billion dollars in the first seven months.
