Gearing up for a win-win as trade expo set to open

More than 10,000 people expected to attend three-day event in Changsha, Hunan province

Mutual exchanges and cooperation are expected to be enhanced during the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo. Guests from 53 African countries have confirmed their attendance.

The event is to be held in Changsha, capital of Central China's Hunan province, from Thursday to Saturday. It will include conferences, forums and exhibitions to showcase achievements and opportunities of China-Africa economic and trade collaborations.

A number of deals were expected to be signed during the expo related to agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure and construction of trade and economic cooperation zones, Vice-Minister of Commerce Qian Keming said at a news conference in early June.

China has been the largest trade partner of Africa for 10 consecutive years, said Qian. He added that Sino-African trade grew 20 percent year-on-year to reach $204.2 billion in 2018.

Qian said achievements have been made on China-Africa cooperation. For example, the structure of bilateral trade has been optimized. Electromechanical and high-tech products contributed more than 56 percent of China's exports to Africa last year, while imports of non-natural resource products from Africa also increased.

More highlights can be seen in the many infrastructure projects of Chinese companies in Africa, such as rail traffic, ports, aviation and electricity. This has helped promote the communications between the two regions and bring more Chinese technologies, equipment and services to Africa, Qian said.

China-based Sinohydro Bureau 5 Co built Soubre hydropower station in Cote d'Ivoire, the biggest in the country. Since it began operating in May 2018, the station has provided up to 2 billion kilowatt-hours of power. The project has helped increase the proportion of hydropower to power supply throughout the country. It also helps it export electricity to other countries, according to a report by People's Daily in late June.

Data from the ministry also show that more than 3,700 Chinese companies had set up branches in Africa by the end of 2018, with a direct investment up to $46 billion.

The two also began to explore new cooperative fields like finance and cross-border e-commerce. Chinese financial institutions set up over 10 branches in Africa. Eight African countries have enrolled renminbi into foreign exchange reserves.

He added the ministry will promote high-quality development of Sino-African economic and trade cooperation. There will be a focus to support the inner drive of economic growth in the continent.

Convention to deepen ties between China and Africa

The China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo is an annual event co-organized by the Ministry of Commerce and the Hunan provincial government. This is under the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. The aim is to discuss new paths and methods of China-Africa cooperation, according to He Baoxiang, vice-governor of Hunan province.

A total of 14 activities and one exhibition during the three-day event will attract more than 10,000 attendees from central and local governments, international organizations, research institutes and companies. Participants include 53 African countries, 31 Chinese provinces, regions and cities, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, World Food Programme, World Trade Organization and the African Union, organizers said.

He added that they prepared a book to highlight 101 successful cases on China-Africa economic and trade cooperation. The book will be published in Chinese, English and French. Also, 40 case studies will be displayed at the expo.

An online fair will be held to release project information, policies and operational mechanisms to help match businesses after the closing of the expo. The organizer also built an exhibition hall for long-term exhibition and sales of African products, He said.

Hunan Gaoqiao Grand Market, a local retailer, is in charge of the exhibition and sales hall. Local customers will have access to many African products, such as dark tea from Kenya, red wine from South Africa, oil paintings from Uganda and agricultural products from Senegal.

Liu Yajuan, deputy general manager of the company, told Changsha Online New Media Group, that about 30 African companies have entered the hall with around 3,000 kinds of products.

Region sees great potential in bilateral partnerships

A new air route was launched earlier this month to link Changsha with Nairobi, capital of Kenya, to provide new travel options for passengers and help mutual exchanges and cooperation.

Operated by China Southern Airlines, the flight is scheduled to take 11.5 hours. The first flight to Nairobi on June 12 saw 96 percent of its seats occupied, which shows Chinese visitors' interest in the continent. The airline also received orders for clothes, wigs and agricultural equipment in China, and for fresh flowers and coffee from Africa, according to a People's Daily report.

"In the past, we had to transport goods through Guangzhou, Guangdong province, to reach Kenya. Now we can do it in Changsha," Song Jinwei, vice-president of an Africa-based e-commerce company, told the paper. He added it improves the efficiency of logistics and reduces transport costs.

He Baoxiang, vice-governor of Hunan, said the province had laid solid foundations for hosting the expo. This is due to its long history of cooperation with Africa in technician's training, business matching, interpersonal communications and other activities.

In June 2015, ambassadors from 36 African countries visited the old house of Chairman Mao in Hunan. The then ambassador from Uganda in China, Charles Madibo Wagidoso, told Rednet.cn that Mao was a great man and he had wanted to visit the place for a long time.

The province can also share its experiences in competitive industries. This includes agriculture, food processing - whose scale surpassed 1 trillion yuan ($145.5 billion) - development of hydropower and renewable energy, as well as mining and infrastructure, he said.

"We hope to enhance cooperation with Africa in industries and products to make more new achievements," said He.

Hunan customs data show that import and export of Hunan and Africa grew 41.1 percent to reach 8.73 billion yuan from January to May.

More than 120 companies from the province have invested in Africa, according to He.

Kilimall, an e-commerce company based in Changsha, will showcase its online platform during the expo.

Yang Tao, CEO of the company, said it serves customers in Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria with its logistics and online payment system. It has set up local warehouses and offers same-day and next-day delivery services. Its daily number of orders can reach a maximum of 100,000.

"Our goal is to cover all African countries by 2021," he told Changsha Evening News. He added clothing, bags and suitcases from Hunan are popular in Africa.

The company also operates on the online fair of the expo. It expects to serve about 1 million companies from China and Africa, generating trade worth up to $10 billion annually. This will help "build Hunan into a national Sino-African economic and trade center", according to Yang.

Vice-governor He said the expo is an effort to secure a closer relationship between China and Africa. "It shows China's confidence and determination to further open up and enhance cooperation with African countries."

Li Yao and Han Bingyu contributed to this story.

fengzhiwei@chinadaily.com.cn