On January 31, the Master Plan for Building a Pilot Zone for In-Depth China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation was released. The Pilot Zone, building upon the China (Hunan) Pilot Free Trade Zone, supports Hunan in accelerating its cooperation and development with Africa, cultivating this "experimental field" for China-Africa economic and trade cooperation policies.

This is a drone photo taken on January 31 at the China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation Promotion Innovation Demonstration Park in Changsha, Hunan. Photographed by Xinhua News Agency Reporter Chen Sihan: Guo Ning, Vice Director of Hunan Provincial Department of Commerce, stated that the Pilot Zone for In-depth China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation, following the permanent hosting of the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, is another major national platform for Africa cooperation undertaken by Hunan, marking a milestone in Hunan's reform and opening-up.

According to the data, in 2023, Hunan's actual investment in new projects in Africa reached $37.09 million, marking a year-on-year increase of 345.79%. Over the past three years, Hunan's trade with Africa has maintained rapid annual growth of 23.1%.

On June 29, 2023, the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo commenced at the Changsha International Conference Center. Photographed by Xinhua News Agency Reporter Chen Sihan: Amid increasingly close exchanges, Hunan-Africa cooperation has grown fervent, achieving mutual benefits through partnership; today, Hunan elements are emerging across Africa, while more African products are entering the Chinese market via Hunan’s platforms.

On January 31, at the permanent exhibition hall of the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in Changsha, Hunan, Mr. Yu Yang (right), Head of the South Africa Pavilion, is introducing imported jewelry to consumers. Photographed by Xinhua News Agency Reporter Chen Sihan: A bustling scene at the Kilimall warehouse on the outskirts of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. This cross-border e-commerce platform, developed by Changsha Kilimall Information Technology Co., Ltd., is China's earliest entrant into Africa's internet and e-commerce sectors.

For Kilimall employee Silas Musyoka, the cooperation between Africa and China in the business sector has helped Kenya fill gaps in supply chains and technology, while also creating a significant number of local employment opportunities. In Africa's rice production regions, Agro-processing Centers and local hospitals, the presence of Hunan is ubiquitous. Hunan and Africa have achieved "two-way engagement" across numerous fields, including green infrastructure, agricultural cooperation, healthcare, cultural exchanges, digital economy and infrastructure development.

Meanwhile, Ethiopian coffee beans, Madagascan seafood, Rwandan chili peppers, Kenyan roses... an increasing number of African specialties are gaining popularity in Hunan, creating new opportunities for more enterprises.

On January 31, at the Africa Coffee Trading Center in Hunan Gaogiao Grand Market, salesclerks of the coffee shop "CoffeeZ" were preparing coffee beverages. Photographed by Xinhua News Agency Reporter Chen Sihan: Headquartered in Changsha, "CoffeeZ" is a coffee chain brand featuring African coffee, which has opened 50 coffee shops to date. "Establishing a pilot zone for in-depth China-Africa economic and trade cooperation is highly beneficial for us!" said Jing Jianhua, Head of "CoffeeZ", who hopes for more direct procurement incentives to introduce diverse African coffee beans to the market of China and enrich the experiences of consumers.

"The construction of the Pilot Zone for In-Depth China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation marks a new milestone in China-Africa economic and trade relations, as well as a significant opportunity for Hunan to establish itself as a new hub for deeper collaboration in this field," said Xu Xiangping, President of the China-Africa Economic and Trade Promotion Council of Hunan Province. He emphasized that Hunan will accelerate the formation of a comprehensive new pattern of opening-up, with a focus on integrating into the Belt and Road Initiative. Hunan will continue to leverage the pivotal role of both the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo and the Pilot Zone for In-Depth China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation.

This is an aerial photo taken on January 31 in Changsha, showing the Pilot Zone for In-Depth China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation. Photographed by Xinhua News Agency Reporter Chen Sihan: In recent years, leveraging the opportunity of the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, Hunan has established trade relations with most African countries and regions: launching a passenger route from Changsha to Nairobi, Kenya; facilitating the entry of African agricultural products into China; establishing a counterpart liaison mechanism for economic and trade cooperation between cities in Hunan and African countries; and inaugurating the Consulate General of the Republic of Malawi in Changsha.....

It is understood that the Pilot Zone for In-Depth China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation will focus on building the Africa Non-Resource Product Distribution and Trading Center, the China-Africa Cross-Border E-Commerce Cooperation Center, the China-Africa Industrial Chain Cultivation Center, the China-Africa Financial Cooperation Center, the Central and Western Regions Logistics Hub for Africa, and the China-Africa Economic and Trade Exchange Promotion Center, to explore new pathways and models for cooperation.

Guo Ning stated, "We are expediting the formulation of implementation schemes and supporting policies to form a roadmap, timeline and job specification for advancing China-Africa economic and trade cooperation, focusing on setting an exemplary model in China-Africa investment and trade, industrial capacity collaboration, digital economy, international logistics and cultural-tourism exchanges. We aim to refine the long-term mechanism for China-Africa economic and trade cooperation and exchanges, thereby generating a series of replicable and scalable new experiences and practices in collaboration."