The 4th China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo will be held in Changsha from June 12 to 15. At a press conference held by the State Council Information Office on the 21st day, Tang Wenghong, Assistant Minister of Commerce of China, stated that this is one of the most significant economic and trade exchanges between China and African countries this year.

Over the past years, China-Africa economic and trade cooperation has continuously achieved new progress. In 2024, China-Africa trade volume reached $295.6 billion, with a year-on-year increase of 4.8%, setting a new historical record for the fourth consecutive year. China has maintained its position as Africa’s largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years. China's imports from Africa reached $116.8 billion (up 6.9%), while exports to Africa totaled $178.8 billion (up 3.5%).

Investment momentum continues to build. The recent years witnessed Chinese enterprises' increased construction and investment in various African economic and trade zones, advancing industrial chain cooperation and making significant contributions to local tax revenues, employment and export earnings. For instance, in Egypt, the Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone developed by Chinese enterprises has formed industrial clusters in textiles, glass, building materials and home appliances, serving as a successful model for Africa’s industrialization. In Tanzania, the East Africa Trade and Logistics Industrial Park developed by Chinese enterprises has attracted over 430 SMEs and is projected to offer more than 20,000 local jobs upon its full operation.

Cooperation in emerging fields continues to deepen. In the digital economy sector, Chinese enterprises have constructed multiple large-scale data centers in Africa, providing cloud computing services. Additionally, 5G technology has been widely applied in African mining operations and urban management. In green development, China-Africa cooperative photovoltaic power stations have a cumulative installed capacity exceeding 1.5 gigawatts, which can meet the needs of millions of African households for electricity. Regarding financial cooperation, Egypt and the African Export-Import Bank successfully issued CNY-denominated "Panda Bonds" in China in 2023 and 2025 respectively.

Last year, China announced granting zero-tariff treatment to 100% of tariff lines for products from the least developed countries that have established diplomatic ties with China. Shen Xiang, Director of the Department of West Asian and African Affairs at the Ministry of Commerce of China, stated that from the implementation of zero-tariff policy on December 1 last year to March this year, China's imports from the least developed countries in Africa reached $21.42 billion, marking a year-on-year increase of 15.2%. China continues to expand market openness to African countries. Since the conclusion of the 2024 FOCAC Beijing Summit, 22 agricultural products from 18 African countries have newly gained access to the Chinese market, and the 7th China International Import Expo established a dedicated zone for African products, organizing domestic professional buyers of China to negotiate with African exhibitors to facilitate the entry of high-quality African specialty products into the Chinese market.

Over the past years, against the backdrop of steady economic development and continuous improvement in the overall business environment in African countries, Chinese enterprises have shown a significant increase in their willingness to invest in Africa. According to statistics, over the past five years, direct investment made by Chinese enterprises in Africa has averaged over $3 billion annually, covering a wide range of sectors. In addition, China's investors in Africa have become more diversified, with private enterprises emerging as a vital force in investment cooperation. They now account for over 70% of all Chinese enterprises investing in Africa.

According to Shen Xiang, the Ministry of Commerce of China has signed investment promotion and protection agreements with 34 African countries and established investment and economic cooperation working groups with 14 African countries, providing institutional and mechanism safeguards for the high-quality development of China-Africa investment cooperation. Next, the Ministry of Commerce of China will focus on implementing the Ten Partnership Initiatives, working closely with African counterparts to deepen the integration of China-Africa industrial and supply chains.