On June 12, THE FOURTH CHINA-AFRICA ECONOMIC AND TRADE EXFPO (hereinafter referred to as “the Expo” ) kicked off in Changsha, Hunan Province, China. At present, 53 African countries, more than 160 African senior officials, 11 international organizations, 4,700 Chinese and African enterprises, business associations, financial institutions and other more than 30,000 people have registered to participate in the conference.
According to CCTV news, the Expo has collected 279 projects signed by Chinese and African parties, an increase of 43.8% compared with the previous session. During the conference period, 175 projects are to be signed, involving an amount of USD 11.39 billion.
Since the establishment of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in 2000, China-Africa trade has reached record highs. According to the data released by the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China on June 11, China has been Africa's top trading partner for 16 consecutive years. 2024, China-Africa trade reached CNY 2.1 trillion, a cumulative increase of more than 20 times (compared with CNY 100 billion in 2000), with an average annual growth rate of 14.2%.
In 2024, China granted 33 African LDCs zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent of their products in terms of tariff lines. From the launch of the zero-tariff policy on December 1 last year to March this year, China's imports from African LDCs amounted to USD 21.42 billion, a year-on-year increase of 15.2 percent.
South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola in Changsha stated that The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation has achieved fruitful results over the 25 years since its establishment, contributing to the development of African countries. South Africa highly appreciates China for granting 100 percent zero-tariff treatment to African countries and looks forward to strengthening practical cooperation with China in various fields such as economy and trade, energy, human resources training, and AIDS prevention and control. He thanked China for its support in South Africa's fulfillment of its duties as the G20 presidency and expressed willingness to enhance communication and coordination with China.