Trade expo returns off line at end-June

The 3rd China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, scheduled to run from June 29 to July 2, will serve as an important mechanism for boosting China-Africa business cooperation and promoting high-level opening-up, officials said at a news conference on Tuesday.

Trade exchanges between China and Africa, which are highly complementary and mutually beneficial, strongly underpin the economic and social development of both sides and deliver benefits to the people of China and Africa, they added.

The event will resume all on-site activities in Changsha, capital of Central China's Hunan province, as the country optimizes its COVID-19 response measures, said Zhou Haibing, vice-governor of the province.

As of now, 53 African countries that have established diplomatic ties with China and eight international organizations have registered for the event, as well as 30 Chinese provincial regions and more than 1,500 domestic enterprises, Zhou said.

A wide range of activities will be arranged during the event, covering topics such as green infrastructure, Customs and quarantine, medicine and healthcare, agricultural products, light industry, industrial parks, women and youth as well as vocational education, he added.

More than 1,350 exhibitors will participate in the event, attracting over 8,000 buyers and trade visitors, said Shen Yumou, director of the Hunan provincial commerce department, adding that some 100,000 individual visits are expected.

The China-Africa trade index will be released for the first time during the event. With a digital and scientific evaluation system, it will serve as a barometer for Chinese enterprises conducting economic and trade cooperation with their African partners, he added.

In addition to the event, China has been exploring more channels such as mobilizing trade promotion groups, harnessing e-commerce platforms and launching online shopping activities to bring more high-quality African products to the Chinese market, said Jiang Wei, director of the Department of Western Asian and African Affairs at the Ministry of Commerce.

China and Africa have seen economic and trade cooperation expanding rapidly in scale and value. Bilateral trade grew 11.1 percent year-on-year to $282 billion last year, with imports from Africa amounting to $117.5 billion, he said.

Local governments have played a more proactive role in advancing cooperation with Africa. Various localities of a fairly large economic size have rolled out well-focused policy measures and encouraged local enterprises to expand cooperation with African partners, he said.