On the afternoon of December 17, 2020 China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation Online Conference was held in the International Commodity Exhibition and Trade Center in Hunan Gaoqiao Grand Market in Changsha. The Conference consisted of two parts: project investment and financing, and trade. The organizers successfully matched and invited 226 Chinese and African organizations and relevant authorities and enterprises, as well as government officials, investors and traders from China and 15 African countries to be engaged in online matchmaking relying on the ICBC Business Matchmaker platform, despite the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic. It created an efficient, safe and economic communication channel for Chinese and African governments and enterprises, and promoted China-Africa economic and trade cooperation to advance forward.
Picture｜2020 China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation Online Conference was held in Changsha on December 17. The picture shows Qian Keming delivering a speech by video. By Yin Tong
The Conference was co-sponsored by Hunan Provincial People's Government and Industrial and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited (ICBC), and organized by the Department of Commerce of Hunan Province, Standard Bank Group, Division of Country Programmes of the United Nation's International Trade Center, and China-Africa Cross-border RMB Center. Qian Kemin, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Commerce delivered a speech by video, and He Baoxiang, Vice Governor of Hunan Provincial People's Government attended the meeting and delivered a speech.
Picture｜2020 China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation Online Conference was held in Changsha on December 17. The picture shows He Baoxiang delivering a speech. By Yin Tong
Qian Keming, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Commerce of China, Wang Jingwu, Vice President of ICBC; Ibrahim Khalil Kaba, Chief of Staff of the Guinean President's Office and the coordinator of Guinea's cooperation with China, Melaku Alebel, Minister of Ethiopian Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ricardo de Abreu, Minister of Angolan Ministry of Transport, Patrick Mweheire, CEO of Standard Bank Group for Eastern Africa, delivered speeches by video respectively.
Picture｜2020 China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation Online Conference was held in Changsha on December 17. The picture shows Kaba delivering a speech. By Yin Tong
Qian Keming said in his video speech that facing the severe and complex challenges brought by the pandemic, China and Africa should take the 20th anniversary of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) as an opportunity, and focus on the implementation of the eight major initiatives of the Beijing Summit to promote the steady development of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation in adversity. China will stick to the principle of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith and the right approach to justice and interests, share development opportunities with African countries, and open up new prospects for China-Africa economic and trade cooperation at a new historical starting point.
Picture｜2020 China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation Online Conference was held in Changsha on December 17. The picture shows Ricardo de Abreu delivering a speech. By Yin Tong
He Baoxiang stressed in his speech that Hunan is an important province in central China that boasts great potential for cooperation with Africa. From January to November this year, Hunan's import and export volume to Africa reached USD 3.644 billion, up 11.7% year on year, showing strong resilience and vitality of the economy during COVID-19. Hunan will promote the development of the leading area for in-depth economic and trade cooperation between China and Africa in China (Hunan) Pilot Free Trade Zone, and work with the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China (MOFCOM) to make the second CAETE a success. In response to the expectations of all parties, Hunan will do its best to hold a distinctive, branded and effective expo.
Picture｜2020 China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation Online Conference was held in Changsha on December 17. By Yin Tong
Kaba said in his video speech that China is Guinea's largest economic and trade partner and their bilateral relations are highly energetic. Since 2011, China's state-owned and private enterprises have invested more than USD 10 billion in mining, ports, energy, highways, railways, telecommunications and other infrastructure. China's achievements in poverty eradication and other fields have fully proved the importance of China's development model and set a successful example for the world.
In order to actively mitigate the impact of the pandemic on China-Africa economic and trade cooperation and build a bridge for cooperation between Chinese and African enterprises, the Secretariat of the Organizing Committee of the CAETE held a series of activities on the 2020 China-Africa Economic and Trade Online Expo Series Events this year. With a "1 + 3" model, a total of 4 events were held. One offline event: Promotion Conference for the Second China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo (CAETE) & China-Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Mechanisms; three online events: 2020 China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation Online Conference, 2020 China-Africa Online Shopping Festival (Hunan-Kenya Special Event) and 2020 China-Africa Import and Export Commodities Online Exhibition.
This conference, which follows the precise and pragmatic quality of the previous session, involves 15 African countries, 71 governments and enterprises and 4 ministerial officials, 3 of whom delivered speeches. There were two major sectors — project investment and financing and trade. Twenty-six government ministries from 10 countries such as Guinea, Angola and Ethiopia and 52 large-scale export-oriented enterprises in the infrastructure, transportation, energy, parks and other industries from Beijing, Shanghai and other provinces and cities were invited to the project investment and financing sector. The trade sector invited 50 enterprises from 8 African countries, such as South Africa, Nigeria and Ghana, as well as 55 Chinese enterprises in the agricultural products, equipment import and export, tourism and other industries from all provinces and cities in China.
