Tang Wenhong introduced that the theme of this year’s Expo is "China and Africa: Together Toward Modernization", co-hosted by the People's Government of Hunan Province and the Ministry of Commerce of China. This is one of the most significant economic and trade exchange activities between China and African countries this year. At the meeting, Tang Wenhong provided an overview of recent China-Africa economic and trade cooperation.

The first characteristic is the steady growth in trade scale. 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%). China's ultra-large market offers vast opportunities for commodities of Africa. Taking pecans as an example, 90% of South Africa's pecans produced every year are exported to China. The Chinese market has driven South Africa to become the world's third-largest pecan producer.

The second characteristic is the continuous accumulation of investment momentum. 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 case of supporting Africa's industrialization. In Tanzania, the East Africa Trade and Logistics Industrial Park developed by Chinese enterprises has attracted over 430 small and medium-sized businesses; once fully operational, it is expected to create more than 20,000 local jobs. In Zambia, the Zambia-China Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone developed by Chinese enterprises is establishing a complete industrial chain for copper mining, smelting, and processing, helping Africa increase the added value of minerals.

The third characteristic is the continuous deepening of cooperation in emerging fields. 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.

Tang Wenhong stated that this China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo will focus on the "Ten Partnership Actions" by organizing a series of events to showcase cooperative achievements, pool resources from all parties, and forge greater synergy to promote the high-quality development of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation.