Recently, African commodities such as Ethiopian coffee, Madagascar essential oils, and Kenyan flowers traveled across the ocean to Changsha, China, and gathered at the 3rd China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, bringing new choices of high quality and low price to consumers.
On June 29, people entered the Changsha International Convention and Exhibition Center, the main exhibition hall of the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Sun Ruibo
Thanks to the joint efforts of Chinese and African governments, enterprises and people, cooperation projects have been implemented in recent years. China-Africa economic and trade exchanges have become closer to people's lives, and have continuously contributed to the construction of a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future.
Unblock the export channel of African specialty products to China
China-Africa trade in agricultural products is gradually heating up, which is a highlight of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation.
Kenyan fresh avocados have been well received since they were exported to China last year, driving local avocado export trade. According to statistics from the importer Shanghai Guorui Information Technology Co., Ltd., as of June this year, more than 3,000 tons of Kenyan avocados have been exported to China through the company, benefiting more than 3,200 local growers and creating opportunities for more people to participate in the avocado trade.
On August 2, 2022, at the Sunrip factory in Limuru Town, Kenya, employees packed avocados into boxes. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Dong Jianghui
Avocado is the epitome of the booming agricultural trade between China and Africa. Since the establishment of the "green channel" for the export of African agricultural products to China, 16 agricultural products from 11 African countries, including South African citrus and Tanzanian sesame, have entered the shopping carts of Chinese consumers.
Through platforms such as the China International Import Expo, the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, and the African Goods Online Shopping Festival, China actively provides national display windows for African agricultural products, helps them open up the Chinese and international markets, and brings new economic opportunities to African countries.
Tanzania is the second largest wine producer in sub-Saharan Africa after South Africa, but its wines are not well known internationally. Cato, the head of a Tanzanian wine company participating in the exhibition, said that the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo provides a good opportunity to introduce domestic products to the international market, and the company looks forward to opening up the Chinese market.
Congo (Kinshasa) Minister of Foreign Trade Busa said in an interview recently that the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo will promote the upgrading and diversification of trade between the two countries. "China has rich experience in economic development, which is worth learning from Congo (Kinshasa)."
According to statistics, in 2022, China's new investment in Congo will reach 500 million U.S. dollars, and the bilateral trade volume between the two countries will reach 21.8 billion U.S. dollars. Since 2015, the scope of Congo (Kinshasa)’s exports to China that enjoys zero-tariff treatment has expanded to 97%.
Help increase the added value of African agricultural products
The first batch of Kenyan deep-sea anchovies recently arrived in Changsha, Hunan, and appeared at the expo. These small fish are caught by fishermen in the eastern coastal areas of Kenya, processed by Chinese companies in local factories, and then sent to China to be made into seafood snacks that are widely sold around the world.
On June 22, fishermen were fishing in the eastern coastal area of Kenya. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Guansen
Abdi, 30, has more than ten years of fishing experience. He said that since supplying to Chinese factories last year, fishermen no longer have to worry about the oversupply of products affecting the price of anchovies, and the cooperation with Chinese companies has brought them continuous and stable income.
Salim Mburia, Kenyan Minister of Mines, Blue Economy and Marine Affairs, spoke highly of Chinese companies creating more job opportunities for local villagers. He said that Kenya-China fishery cooperation will tap the potential of Kenya's blue economy.
Improving people's livelihood and well-being is the fundamental purpose of development. China has long regarded poverty alleviation and benefiting agriculture as a key area of China-Africa cooperation, and has sent several groups of agricultural experts to Africa and established more than 20 agricultural demonstration centers. Chinese companies have established agricultural cooperation parks and agricultural product processing plants in many countries, using advanced technology, equipment and experience to help partner countries increase crop production, establish agricultural industry chains, and empower local economic and social sustainable development.
In February last year, a number of Chinese companies signed a cooperation agreement on the construction of primary processing plants for rubber, palm oil, cotton and other agricultural products in Côte d'Ivoire and other West African countries. Currently, two rubber factories have been put into operation under this framework.
Bonaventier, the resource supervisor of the Agricultural Research and Consulting Industry Association of Côte d'Ivoire, said that Chinese processing plants have changed the local rubber industry, providing growers with stable and reasonably priced shipping channels, and also attracting more young people to choose to stay in their hometown.
The road of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation is getting wider and wider
Over the years, China-Africa economic and trade cooperation has been full of vitality and the pace of development has been solid and steady. The scale of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation has continued to expand. Through cooperation platforms such as the "Belt and Road" initiative and the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, the "Daily Freehand" plan has been implemented into a large number of visible and tangible cooperation projects.
On September 14, 2022, in the Djibouti International Free Trade Zone, an African young entrepreneur checked products on a cross-border e-commerce platform on his mobile phone. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Dong Jianghui
According to statistics from the Ministry of Commerce of China, over the past ten years, the total volume of China-Africa trade has exceeded US$2 trillion. China has always maintained the status of Africa's largest trading partner. In 2022, the trade volume between China and Africa will increase by 11.1% year-on-year.
From traditional industries such as agriculture, infrastructure, and manufacturing to new industries such as green development, health care, finance, and digital innovation, the fields of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation are also expanding. Minister of Trade and Industrial Development of Zanzibar, Tanzania Shaban said that Africa-China cooperation has broad prospects.
Since the beginning of this year, many provinces and cities in China have sent delegations or held cooperation and exchange meetings to strengthen policy communication with African countries and meet cooperation needs. At the promotion meeting of the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo held in Nairobi, Ogutu, an investment promotion officer of the Kenya Investment Agency, said that Kenya will showcase the blue economy, manufacturing, infrastructure, digital highways and agricultural product processing at the expo. Investment Opportunities.
This year is a crucial year to promote the implementation of the "Nine Projects" of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. Under the joint promotion of both China and Africa, China-Africa economic and trade cooperation has continued to reach new heights, and the road to win-win cooperation has become wider and wider, injecting vigorous impetus into the well-being of the Chinese and African people and even the common development and prosperity of mankind.