On the afternoon of November 5, the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China (MOFCOM) and the People's Government of Hunan Province hosted the "Promotion Conference for the Second China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo (CAETE) & China-Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Mechanisms" in Shanghai Juss Hengshan Hotel, which was undertaken by the Department of Commerce of Hunan Province and the Trade Development Bureau of the MOFCOM.
He Baoxiang, Vice Governor of the People's Government of Hunan Province, attended the promotion conference. Xie Yajing, First-level Inspector of the Department of Western Asian and African Affairs of MOFCOM, Wu Zhengping, Director General of the Trade Development Bureau of MOFCOM, Chen Xianchun, Deputy Secretary-General of the People's Government of Hunan Province, Xu Xiangping, Director of the Department of Commerce of Hunan Province, and Zhang Shen, President of Hunan Branch of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) attended the conference.
Ethiopian Ambassador to China Teshome Toga Chanaka, Kenyan Ambassador to China Sarah Serem, Rwandan Ambassador to China James Kimonyo and Beninese Ambassador to China Simon Pierre Adovelande, together with ambassadors of Senegal, Tanzania, Nigeria and other African countries to China, also attended the conference.
There were more than 200 other attendees, including representatives of MOFCOM and all levels of governments in Hunan Province, representatives of international organizations and financial institutions such as the International Trade Centre (ITC), representatives of key enterprises, business associations and financial institutions cooperating with Africa, representatives of commercial departments of other areas of China, representatives of some African exhibitors at the third China International Import Expo, representatives of China-Africa think tanks, experts, scholars, and media reporters.
The conference was presided over by Li Xinqiu, Deputy Director of the Department of Commerce of Hunan Province.
Speeches by guests
First, the promotional video of the second CAETE was broadcasted, and then He Baoxiang, Vice Governor of the People's Government of Hunan Province, made a speech.
He said that under the affectionate care of the CPC Central Committee and State Council, with the support of the MOFCOM and other central ministries and commissions, along with the full support of other provinces and cities, Hunan held the first CAETE successfully. After the first CAETE, Hunan gives full play to the expo's spillover effect and strives to establish a long-acting mechanism for its economic and trade cooperation with Africa, including the establishment of a leading area for in-depth economic and trade cooperation between China and Africa into one of the three tasks of China (Hunan) Pilot Free Trade Zone. When General Secretary Xi Jinping visited Hunan in September this year, he pointed out that Hunan should take the initiative to serve the national opening-up strategy, establish a long-term mechanism for economic and trade cooperation and exchange with Africa, deeply participate in the construction of the Belt and Road, and promote the innovative development of foreign trade, accelerating the implementation of the overall plan for China (Hunan) Pilot Free Trade Zone. It provides the direction, guidance, and impetus for Hunan to hold the CAETE and build China (Hunan) Pilot Free Trade Zone. At present, Hunan is pushing forward the preparations for the second CAETE and promoting the construction of a long-term mechanism for cooperation with Africa. At the end of his speech, He Baoxiang sincerely invited friends from all walks of life in China and Africa to participate in the second CAETE and jointly construct the leading area for in-depth economic and trade cooperation between China and Africa.
Xie Yajing, First-level Inspector of the Department of Western Asian and African Affairs of MOFCOM, said in her speech that the success of the first CAETE has set off a new climax of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation. Since the beginning of this year, the international economic situation has been grim and complicated, and China-Africa development and economic and trade cooperation have been under great pressure due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors. However, in the face of daunting and complex challenges, China and Africa have always stood by each other through thick and thin, and have been committed to cooperation and common development with an open, inclusive and mutual learning attitude. Xie Yajing hoped that all parties would make good use of the expo and actively participate in the second CAETE to discuss development opportunities, build an open economy and share the fruits of cooperation.
Wu Zhengping, Director General of the Trade Development Bureau of MOFCOM, said in his speech that the second CAETE will continue to be held in Changsha in September 2021, and the Trade Development Bureau of MOFCOM, as one of the organizers of the expo, will strengthen the communication and contact with all parties, and promote the exchanges and collaboration. The parties focus on the implementation of the Eight Major Initiatives of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), and work together to promote the preparations for the second CAETE.
Kenyan Ambassador to China Serem Sarah said in her speech that CAETE is one of the most important economic and trade cooperation platforms for deepening China-Africa cooperation under the FOCAC mechanism, which provides an opportunity and platform for African countries to showcase their strength and for Chinese enterprises to share their experience in various sectors. The Ambassador thanked China for its tremendous assistance to Africa during the pandemic, calling China "a friend in need" and thanked China for its solidarity with Africa in times of hardship.
Theme promotion
Xu Xiangping, Director of the Department of Commerce of Hunan Province, made a theme promotion speech on the second CAETE and China-Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Mechanisms.
Xu Xiangping said that the first CAETE was successfully held in Changsha and achieved results far beyond expectations. The CAETE will be held in Hunan every two years on a permanent basis. The second CAETE will be held in Changsha, Hunan in September 2021, with the theme of "Opening up and Innovation to Promote High-quality Development of China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation". It will feature a number of diverse and informative activities in key areas of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation. Xu Xiangping said the China (Hunan) Pilot Free Trade Zone was approved in September 2020, in which building a leading area for in-depth economic and trade cooperation between China and Africa is one of the three strategic tasks. This is another national platform for China-Africa economic and trade cooperation after the CAETE will be held in Hunan regularly. Hunan will make full use of these two national platforms, play the role of "two hosts", develop "nine mechanisms" and focus on building a new high land for cooperation with Africa. Xu Xiangping said that FOCAC and CAETE would be held in 2021. Hunan, as the long-term host of CAETE and the only authorized free trade zone in China to carry out in-depth economic and trade cooperation with Africa, will seriously implement the important instructions of President Xi Jinping during his visit to Hunan in September and the Eight Major Initiatives of the FOCAC Beijing Summit, continuously open up and innovate, and make a contribution to the high-quality development of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation by creating a Hunan model. He sincerely looked forward to the attention, support and deep participation of all insightful people who are interested in China-Africa economic and trade cooperation. He welcomed everyone to meet in Changsha, Hunan next September for a grand event.
Jiang Xuejun, Director of Asia-Pacific Affairs of ITC, said in his speech that as the only development cooperation agency dedicated to supporting micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in developing countries to enhance their international competitiveness within the United Nations system, the ITC will actively participate in the second CAETE, and is very pleased to be able to further cooperate with Hunan Province to help Hunan Province and African countries closely work. It becomes a high land of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation and a bridgehead of China for importing African non-resource products.
Launching ceremony
The Launching Ceremony of the 2020 China-Africa Economic and Trade Online Expo Series Events is held.
As an active response to the impact and influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on China-Africa economic and trade cooperation, the Secretariat of the CAETE Organizing Committee will hold the 2020 China-Africa Economic and Trade Online Expo Series Events from November to December in 2020. There will be three online events, which will help Chinese and African traders strengthen cooperation through online means, take advantage of the CAETE brand, and maintain the popularity and function of CAETE. Including:
China-Africa Online Supply and Demand Matchmaking Conference is scheduled to be held on December 17 with a combination of offline and online activities. The offline opening ceremony will invite various guests to attend and deliver speeches. Supported by ICBC Business Matchmaker, a cross-border matchmaking platform, the online matchmaking conference will focus on project investment (infrastructure, energy, power, resource development, supporting facilities, equipment manufacturing, industrial parks, real estate) and international trade (imports of African food and agricultural products and exports of raw materials for industrial production, machinery products, personal electronic equipment, and medical supplies). Through the preliminary matching, the conference will invite supply and demand sides with high transaction intent to carry out one-on-one online negotiation. The online supply and demand matchmaking conference will help Chinese and African traders come to terms with investment and trade.
The 2020 China-Africa Online Shopping Festival (Hunan-Kenya Session) will rely on an African mature e-commerce platform (Kilimall) and focus on Kenya and other East African regions to create an African online shopping festival under the CAETE mechanism, so as to drive the export of many Hunan products and strengthen the stickiness of African consumers to the cross-border e-commerce model and platform. The online shopping festival promotion will run throughout November 2020, with intensive inbound marketing from November 9 to 11.
The 2020 China-Africa Import and Export Commodities Online Exhibition, jointly organized by the Secretariat of the CAETE, the African Union Commission and the African Export-Import Bank, will be held in November 2020 on the online exhibition platform of the Africa International Export and Import Fair and will invite African associations and organizations, purchasers, traders and exhibitors to exchange online. The exhibitor showcase will run from October 1, 2020 to December 30, 2020, with November 11-15, 2020 being a time of intensive inbound marketing and special matching.
At the Launching Ceremony, He Baoxiang, Vice Governor of the People's Government of Hunan Province, Xie Yajing, First-level Inspector of the Department of Western Asian and African Affairs of MOFCOM, Wu Zhengping, Director General of the Trade Development Bureau of MOFCOM, Chen Xianchun, Deputy Secretary-General of the People's Government of Hunan Province, Xu Xiangping, Director of the Department of Commerce of Hunan Province, and Zhang Shen, President of ICBC Hunan Branch, together with Ethiopian Ambassador to China Teshome Toga Chanaka, Kenyan Ambassador to China Sarah Serem, Rwandan Ambassador to China James Kimonyo and Beninese Ambassador to China Simon Pierre Adovelande, simultaneously pressed the launch button for the 2020 China-Africa Economic and Trade Online Expo Series Events.
Promotion of mechanism organizations
Then, the representatives from organizations undertaking the construction of China-Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Mechanisms made speeches on special promotion.
On behalf of the China-Africa Cross-border RMB Center, Zhang Shen, President of ICBC Hunan Branch, said in his speech that the China-Africa Cross-border RMB Center is a financial service center led by ICBC under the guidance of the People's Bank of China, integrating policy research, product innovation, cross-border RMB settlement, investment and financing, trading banks, large-scale retailing, information services, and cross-border RMB training. The establishment of the China-Africa Cross-border RMB Center will promote the facilitation of trade and investment between China and Africa, help Hunan build a bridgehead for China-Africa trade and economy, and advance the RMB internationalization in Africa.
On behalf of the China-Africa Economic and Trade Promotion Innovation Demonstration Park, Ms. Luo Xiao, President of Hunan Gaoqiao Grand Market, said in her speech that the demonstration park is located in the Gaoqiao Grand Market, which is the core area of the leading area for in-depth economic and trade cooperation between China and Africa. The demonstration park will develop four major platforms, namely, Africa Non-resource Products Distribution and Trading Center, China-Africa Business Incubation Center, China-Africa Financial Service Platform, and China-Africa Comprehensive Economic and Trade Service Center, and will leverage on the construction of China (Hunan) Pilot Free Trade Zone to provide strong policy support for the enterprises in the park.
Peng Zheng, Executive Chairman and Secretary-General of China-Africa Economic and Trade Research Association, said in his speech that the association will follow the principle of "government guidance and market operation", and rely on CAETE and the leading area for in-depth economic and trade cooperation between China and Africa, which are the two national platforms for China-Africa cooperation. Through conducting China-Africa economic and trade cooperation think tank research and building diversified channels for China-Africa economic and trade cooperation, the association will provide the government and enterprises with political advice and all-round and whole process professional services, explore new paths and new modes of local economic and trade cooperation with Africa, and strive to form a number of demonstration projects and cases.
Contract signing
Later, a cooperation signing ceremony was held. The cooperation agreements of "Hunan, Guangdong, and Africa" international logistics platform invested by Xianing Inland Port and Guangzhou Port and other 12 cooperation projects were successfully signed. He Baoxiang and other leaders attended the signing ceremony.
Leader meeting before the conference
Before the conference, Vice Governor He Baoxiang met with some of the African diplomatic envoys to China who were invited to attend the conference. Ethiopian Ambassador to China Teshome Toga Chanaka, Kenyan Ambassador to China Sarah Serem, Rwandan Ambassador to China James Kimonyo and Beninese Ambassador to China Simon Pierre Adovelande, Mankeur Ndiaye, Minister Counsellor of Embassy of Senegal in China, Lusekelo Gwassa, Commercial Counsellor of Embassy of the United Republic of Tanzania in China attended the meeting.
Chen Xianchun, Deputy Secretary-General of the People's Government of Hunan Province, Xu Xiangping, Director of the Department of Commerce of Hunan Province, Lin Deyong, Deputy Director of Hunan Provincial Department of Finance, Li Xinqiu, Deputy Director of the Department of Commerce of Hunan Province, and Zhang Shen, President of ICBC Hunan Branch, also attended the meeting.
