China, Africa stepping up economic, trade cooperation as expo opens

BROADENING PROSPECT

A day before the expo opened, South African Ambassador to China Siyabonga C. Cwele arrived in Changsha and showcased in a live stream a variety of African specialties to Chinese consumers, including South African white wine, Ethiopian coffee beans, and Guinean drums, which attracted a large audience, hence a flurry of orders.

In recent years, an increasing number of African products have entered the Chinese market and gained popularity among consumers. China now has become the second-largest destination for African agricultural exports.

Such an achievement was made as a visible result of the nine programs in deepening China-Africa cooperation put forward by Xi at the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2021.

As the scale and scope of trade between China and Africa continue to expand, bilateral cooperation is extending into emerging fields such as digital and green industries.

During a meeting with President Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in May this year, Xi said that China is ready to provide new opportunities for African countries with its new development.

Under the spotlight at the expo are Chinese companies engaged in Africa's new energy industries, including Hunan Hyliess New Energy Technology Co., Ltd, a company from Changsha, which has already declared cooperative intentions with over 100 African customers.

"The new energy industry in Africa is developing rapidly," Li Zhenchao, sales manager of the company, told Xinhua. Currently, business from the African region accounts for nearly half of the company's total, Li added.

Cooperation with China is a win-win process with positive results, Cwele told Xinhua after finishing his live stream. "We see a lot of opportunities from our cooperation."