Xinhua Beijing, February 26 — Recently, Reference News published an article titled "Central China Building a New Height for Opening Up to Africa". The full text of the Article is as follows: Recently, the State Council approved the Master Plan for Building a Pilot Zone for In-Depth China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation (hereinafter referred to as the "Master Plan"). The Approval mandated Hunan to formulate supporting policies and implementation plans as per the Master Plan's defined strategic positioning, development goal and key tasks as soon as possible and advance the China-Africa in-depth economic cooperation pilot zone methodically. Hunan is a key frontier for China-Africa people-to-people exchanges and cooperation, as well as one of China's most active provinces in economic and trade collaboration with Africa. The China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo has been permanently hosted in Hunan. In 2023, Hunan's import and export with Africa reached cny 55.67 billion, ranking first in central and western China, with an average annual growth of 23.1% over the past three years, showing a continuous upward trend in economic and trade. Of the 21 national pilot FTZs, Hunan Pilot FTZ bears the strategic mission of building a model hub for local cooperation with Africa. Mr. Shen Yumou, Director of Hunan Provincial Department of Commerce, stated that the construction of Pilot Zone for In-Depth China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation is not only a significant measure to the im...
It was reported on December 8 that China recently announced zero-tariff treatment on products originating from Angola, Gambia, Mali, Madagascar, Mauritania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The relevant measures will take effect from December 25. Such zero-tariff treatment covers 98% of tariff lines for products from these African countries, including coffee, palm oil, cotton, cocoa, fruits, seafood and spices. Furthermore, this treatment applies to non-food crops like sisal and rubber. It is reported that with the improvement in the living standards of Chinese residents, the consumption categories and scale of the 400-million-strong middle class have expanded. Taking coffee as an example, Chinese people's fondness for coffee has grown over the past years, accompanied by a rapid increase in consumption. Relevant reports noted that this announcement involved the exemption of finished products from tariffs, not merely raw materials. Previously, China's exports to Africa primarily consisted of manufactured goods like textiles, machinery and electronics, while African exports to China were dominated by raw materials and unprocessed products. It is reported that during the BRICS leaders' summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa in August this year, China pledged to assist African countries in developing industries such as agricultural product processing. In the approximately two years prior to this, 21 African countries had already enjoyed zero-tariff treatment on 98% of ...
Hunan Provincial People's Government Office issued the Circular on Several Measures to Promote High-Quality Development of Cross-Border e-Commerce." Hunan Government Doc. No.9 [2023] To the People's Governments of all cities, prefectures, counties and districts, and all departments, commissions and subordinate agencies under the Provincial Government: Several Measures to Promote High-Quality Development of Cross-Border e-Commerce have been approved by the Provincial People’s Government and are hereby issued to you for serious implementation. General Office of Hunan Provincial People's Government March 3, 2023 (This Document is proactively disclosed.) Several Measures to Promote High-Quality Development of Cross-Border e-Commerce To effectively elevate the high-quality development of cross-border e-Commerce in our province, cultivate new advantages in foreign trade, stimulate new growth drivers and support building an inland reform and opening-up hub, the following measures are proposed to take: I. Strengthen Industrial Development (1) Support cross-border e-Commerce entities to scale up and become stronger. Accelerate the cultivation of local benchmark cross-border e-Commerce enterprises and encourage businesses to establish their own independent cross-border e-Commerce platforms. Support eligible cross-border e-Commerce enterprises in application for the status of national high-tech enterprise or technologically-advanced service enterprise. Grant maximum rewards of cny 200,0...
Circular of the General Office of Hunan Provincial People's Government on Issuing "Several Policy Measures to Promote Scale Stability and Structure Optimization of Foreign Trade in Hunan Province" Hunan Government Doc. No. 46 [2023] To the People's Governments of all cities, prefectures, counties and districts, and all departments, commissions and subordinate agencies under the Provincial Government: "Several Policy Measures to Promote Scale Stability and Structure Optimization of Foreign Trade in Hunan Province" have been approved by the Provincial People’s Government and are hereby issued to you for rigorous implementation. General Office of Hunan Provincial People’s Government October 26, 2023 Several Policy Measures to Promote Scale Stability and Structure Optimization of Foreign Trade in Hunan Province To implement the spirit of the "Opinions of the General Office of State Council on Promoting Scale Stability and Structure Optimization of Foreign Trade" (State Council Doc. No. 10 [2023]) and effectively advance the stability, quality improvement and high-quality development of the import and export of Hunan, the following measures are proposed to take: I. Promote the Integrated Development of Industry and Trade 1.Accelerate the development of export-oriented industries. Leverage the foreign trade quality and efficiency demonstration project to enhance the internationalization of competitive industrial clusters such as engineering machinery and rail transit, improve the i...