In the afternoon of March 16, the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo and Promotion Conference of the Pilot Zone for China-Africa In-depth Economic and Trade Cooperation was successfully held in Hunan Mansion in Beijing. Li Fei, Vice Minister of MOFCOM, and Zhou Haibing, Vice Governor of Hunan Provincial People’s Government, attended and delivered speeches. Zhou Yixiang, Deputy Secretary General of the Hunan Provincial People’s Government, presided the conference. Wu Peng, Director General of the Africa Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Martin Mpana, Ambassador of Cameroon to China, and Cao Derong, President of the China Chamber of Commerce for the Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce, and Animal By-Products (COFNA), delivered speeches at the promotion meeting. Shen Yumou, Director of the Department of Commerce of Hunan Province, made a special promotion for the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo and the Pilot Zone for China-Africa deep economic and trade cooperation.
Approximately 200 guests from 46 African countries attended, including ambassadors from Cameroon, Benin, Madagascar, Malawi, and other 16 countries; representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Finance, and other national ministries and institutions; representatives from relevant departments and cities and counties in Hunan Province; representatives from central enterprises, local enterprises, national business associations, and financial institutions, et cetera.
Li Fei said that the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo had been held successfully for two sessions and had produced fruitful results thanks to the joint commitments and efforts of China and Africa. This had helped to build a brand image of practical and effective, mutually beneficial, and win-win cooperation. The Pilot Zone for China-Africa Deep Economic and Trade Cooperation and the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo are two key initiatives for China to continue deepening its economic and trade cooperation with Africa. We warmly invite all China-African communities to actively participate in the third Expo and pay close attention to the creation of the pilot zone in order to positively advance the high-quality growth of China-African trade and economic cooperation and create a high-level China-African community with a shared future.
Zhou Haibing said that Hunan province will adhere to the principles of China’s Africa policy: sincerity, real results, amity, and good faith, and pursue the greater good and shared interests proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, and take deep integration into the construction of the “Belt and Road Initiative” and the expansion of economic and trade cooperation with Africa as the key to building the highlands of reform and opening up in the inland region. Hunan Province will also combine the holding of the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo with the construction of the pilot zone for deep China-Africa economic and trade cooperation and strive to create a “testing field” for the innovation of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation mechanisms. We are looking forward to the participation of all parties to create a brighter future for China-Africa economic and trade cooperation.
Wu Peng said that the “Nine Projects” of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and other major practical cooperation initiatives have continuously pushed the level of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation to a new historical high and injected great power into promoting South-South cooperation and boosting confidence in global economic development. We hope that all parties will take an active role in the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo and the creation of the pilot zone, engage in thorough discussion and cooperation, continually look for new opportunities for expansion in China-Africa trade and economic relations, and advance the transformation and upgrading of China-Africa relations.
Martin Mpana said that by enhancing training for local businesses, Cameroon hopes to assist more local small and medium-sized businesses in expanding their trade with China and taking advantage of the opportunities presented by China’s open market. The China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo was held for the first time in the post-pandemic era, and Martin Mpana hoped that the third edition of the Expo would strengthen local promotion in Africa so that more African entrepreneurs in China and Chinese and African entrepreneurs living on the African continent could be part of it.
Shen Yumou said that the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo will introduce more innovative practical measures, develop more features and highlights, and strive for wonderful event planning, exquisite exhibition presentation, effective and accurate hosting of the Expo, and precise service guarantee, in order to create the hosting pattern of the expo featuring “Hunan taking the stage, the entire country performing opera, and China and Africa sharing the results,” and to make the third Expo as successful as possible in terms of influence, characteristics, effectiveness, and level. In June, we cordially invite all parties to a meeting in Hunan to rekindle friendships, advance cooperation, and pursue shared development.
Cao Derong said that COFNA has long been committed to promoting China-Africa trade cooperation in agricultural products and will hold the China-Africa Agricultural Products Industry Chain Cooperation Matchmaking Seminar and the China-Africa Food and Agricultural Products Trade and Investment Fair during the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo to build a smooth, efficient, and practical mode of information exchange and business cooperation between China and Africa in agricultural products, so as to add fuel and energy to the deep development of China-Africa economic and trade relations.
It is reported that the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo will be held in Changsha, Hunan Province, from June 29th to July 2nd this year, with the theme of “seeking common development and sharing the future”. The main venue, main exhibition hall, and sub-exhibition hall are located in Changsha International Conference Center, Changsha International Convention and Exhibition Center, and China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation and Innovation Demonstration Park (Gao Qiao Market, Hunan Province), respectively. There will be eight African guest countries and two thematic provinces in Shandong and Hubei.
About 30 events will be held during the conference, including major events, high-end forums, matchmaking negotiations, seminars, and supporting activities, among which the Counsellor’s Office of the State Council, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, the General Administration of Customs, the National Medical Products Administration, the State Administration of Market Regulation, the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, the All-China Women’s Federation, the All-China Youth Federation, and other ministries and institutions will host activities respectively.
In terms of exhibitions, the main exhibition hall will use six indoor exhibition halls and one outdoor exhibition area in the Changsha International Convention and Exhibition Center, with an exhibition area of about 90,000 square meters, an increase of 27,000 square meters compared with the previous one. A comprehensive exhibition hall, African enterprises and commodities pavilion, Chinese enterprises and commodities pavilion, Chinese local provinces and cities pavilion, and domestic and foreign trade integration pavilion will be set up to focus on the achievements of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation, the image of the guest of honor, the theme provinces, central enterprises, and local provinces and cities, African high-quality special products, and Chinese products, as well as production capacity and services suitable for Africa. The permanent exhibition halls will serve as the primary display space for the sub-exhibition. In addition to continuing to share experiences and releasing the China-Africa Trade Index for the first time, the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo will also launch a wide range of cooperation projects for all parties in China and Africa. It will also republish the China-Africa Economic and Trade Relations Report.
