By Ibrahim Joenal Sesay
FREETOWN, Oct. 5 (232News) – Sierra Leone was among Africans and non-Africans countries that participated in the first International China’s Wine Culture and Tourism Expo.
The Expo which kicks off to bring worldwide wine lovers was sponsored by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the Ningxia regional government.
The first International China’s Wine Culture and Tourism Expo kicked off on Sunday in Yinchuan, capital of Northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, with a national passion for world-class wine producing areas and a new bridge to worldwide wine lovers. Located at the eastern foot of Helan Mountain in Ningxia, the wine producing area has been able to make world-class wines. By learning from the advanced experience of the grape industry in Western countries, the wine producing area has established innovative production standardization and marketing systems with Chinese characteristics and has gradually become a frontrunner across the world.
Ningxia’s wine industry started in 1984, making it one of the earliest regions in China to grow grapes and make wine, local winemaking experts informed this medium.
The President of CPAFFC Ambassador Lin said such gathering is to help the world understand the real China in an all-round way, tell the true story about China to outside world, serve the development of Ningxia and promote mutually beneficial cooperation between China and foreign countries, through that the CPAFFC invited more than 60 guests, including well-known multinational executives, Chinese and foreign mainstream media reporters and young leaders from 22 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe to join them tour with the hope that the guests will be able to understand the development of Ningxia and western China in an all-round way, and to know China better.
“It is also in our hope that you will gain a better understanding of China’s development path, development philosophy and governance strategy through this visit, feel the country’s arduous efforts in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, its great miracles and broad prospects of international cooperation, and engage in an active discussion on promoting mutually beneficial cooperation in the future.”
One of Sierra Leone representatives, Mariatu Kargbo, the Black Pearl of China said the short time she spent in Ningxia, she saw the hearts of the people and I she believed what they are saying that “without the Communist Party, there is no New China”.
Maria said 25 years ago, Ningxia was a desert and nothing was there and at that time President Xi was the leader in Fujian when he visited Ningxia and he saw a desert, but he saw also the future of Ningxia and he changed Ningxia people’s minds and promised them that Ningxia will be one of the successful green cities in China.
He went back to Fujian and he arranged for more than 100 people, the first people to come to develop and invest in Ningxia. At that time, Ningxia had no water, no roads and no plants and it was hard to raise animals.
“Today, we see the development of Ningxia, we see the houses, we see the greenery, we see the animals, we see the schools, we see the tourism, we see the hospitals, so I want to send my special thanks to President Xi Jinping for his first visit here and the way he transformed the people’s lives. Some places in the world have been crying for 20 years because of war while, in this special place, the last 20 years have been spent changing lives from poverty to prosperity.”
The team visited many places such as the solar light factory, tourism site, Museum and a rice company among others.
Maria said she learned a lot of thing which she will take back to Africa.
She thanked the CPC, CPAFFC, the Ningxia government and the media, among others for their great work.
The African team led by Sierra Leone Maria and South Africa Ambassador Grobler presented a gifts to Ningxia government, Madame Ding Jie, translators and drivers on behalf of the Africans representative while expressing hope that they as African and future leaders can play a role in promoting further exchanges between their nations.
In 2020, Ningxia’s wine export grew by 46.4 percent with an increased international influence and competitiveness.
Ningxia has established close relations with 23 major wine producing areas in France, the United States, Australia and other countries, carrying out technical exchanges, introduction of cultivation and winemaking experts, joint education and other aspects of cooperation.
