Changsha County, also known as Xingsha, an inland locality in central China’s Hunan Province, has seen a significant surge in economic and trade cooperation with Africa, particularly in agricultural industrialization.
The burgeoning cooperation was highlighted during the Third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo (CAETE), where the First Xingsha·Africa Economic and Trade Exchange Meeting was hosted. During the expo, contracts for 14 programs involving an investment of 1.5 billion U.S. dollars were signed. These programs mark a new era of China-Africa cooperation in manufacturing, energy, urban infrastructure, agricultural industrialization, and the tertiary industry.
Changsha County, whose foreign trade approached 130 billion yuan and trade with African partners exceeded 7.0 billion yuan in 2022, has been capitalizing on the potential of opening up-driven development in recent years. The county has been encouraging the global expansion of profitable industries to expand the share of local engineering machinery, electronic information, and agriculture in China-Africa economic and trade cooperation.
Agricultural industrialization, a vital cooperation component, has seen significant progress. The county has been making unremitting efforts to expand the share of its agricultural industry in China-Africa economic and trade cooperation. This is part of a broader strategy to encourage the global expansion of its most successful industries.
During the meeting, the Central China county also signed a memorandum of understanding for sister regions with Rwamagana in the Eastern Province of Rwanda to further the China-Africa friendship. The two sides pledged to communicate and cooperate in various sectors, including economics, trade, sci-tech, culture, sports, agriculture, and tourism.
The inauguration of the Changsha County Chamber of Commerce for boosting the China-Africa economy and trade on July 1 is expected to serve as a bridge to connect the county with its African counterparts to spur related investment and opening up.
Fu Xuming, secretary of the CPC Changsha County committee, emphasized the county’s commitment to providing a conducive business environment, heart-warming services, and excellent working conditions for enterprises and friends from Africa. He noted that by joining hands with Africa, Changsha County aims to contribute more to China-Africa cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative and build a shared future community.
Photo by Phoenix Han on Unsplash
