China is set to host the inaugural China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, between June 27-29.
Over 1,300 guests and traders from 53 African countries have signed up for the expo as of May 24, signaling the importance of the fair in the Sino-African economic relations.
The China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo was proposed in the discussions at the 2018 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and is establishing a new mechanism for economic and trade cooperation between China and African countries.
Various conferences, forums and exhibitions lined up.
The forum will be co-hosted by China’s Ministry of Commerce and the People’s Government of Hunan Province.
Tanzania, Angola, Egypt, Uganda, Senegal and Cote d’Ivoire are listed as the guest countries of honor for the inaugural forum.
The China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo will provide as platform for various Chinese companies cooperating with African countries to showcase their products and services.
Participants are expected to sign bilateral agreements during the exhibition, engage in investment promotions, and establish a “new mechanism” for future economic cooperation.
Hunan will host the forum once every two years, a sign of close relations between the Central Chinese province and Africa.
Hunan’s trade volume with African countries totaled 2.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2018, surging over 50 percent for the fourth straight year.
Contracted investment by Hunan firms in Africa amounted to nearly one billion dollars.
The 2019 China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo will be held under the theme “Win-Win Cooperation for Closer China-Africa Economic and Trade Partnership”
