The Promotion Conference for the 2nd China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo (CAETE) and the Leading Area for the China-Africa In-depth Economic and Trade Cooperation was held in Beijing on April 19, 2021. Ren Hongbin, assistant minister of the Ministry of Commerce; He Baoxiang, vice governor of Hunan Province; ambassadors to China from 12 African countries, including Algeria, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, South Africa, Nigeria, Senegal, Sao Tome and Principe, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda; envoys of 32 countries to China; and, representatives of the African Union, attended.
Assistant Minister Ren stated that CAETE is China’s first national, comprehensive, and international economic and trade cooperation mechanism with African countries on economic and trade cooperation. It is an important platform for the development of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation, the implementation of the economic and trade measures made at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and the expansion of local Chinese government collaboration with African countries. The second CAETE is based on new characteristics, demands, and trends in Chinese-African economic and trade cooperation in the new era, to make itself unique, famous, and fruitful.
Vice Governor He said that Hunan governments at all levels have combined the work of preparing the expo, deepening China-Africa economic and trade cooperation, and jointly building the Hunan Pilot Free Trade Zone. They are striving to build a leading area for in-depth economic and trade cooperation between China and Africa. The expo and the leading area are part of economic globalization. We look forward to the participation of Chinese and African governments, think tanks, enterprises, financial institutions, and other parties, to create a new situation for China-Africa cooperation, he added.
Mamadou Ndiaye, ambassador of Senegal to China, spoke on behalf of the African countries. He remarked that CAETE is an important promotional platform for development of China-Africa investment and trade, and provides new opportunities for bilateral companies. He expected the second session to achieve useful results and propose improvements for the coming Forum on China-Africa Cooperation which will be held at the end of the year.
Chen Huiqing, director of the Hunan Provincial Department of Commerce, described the second CAETE and the Leading Area for China-Africa In-depth Economic and Trade Cooperation. Representative from Jiangxi Province made a speech for its theme province role at the expo.
Chinese source: hunan.gov.cn
