28,000 participants expected at China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo

More than 28,000 people from China, Africa and international organizations have signed up for the fourth China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo as of Tuesday, organizers announced.

The participants are from 48 African countries, nine international organizations, and 27 Chinese provincial-level regions. More than 4,700 Chinese and African enterprises, business associations and financial institutions will attend the event, organizers told a press briefing held by the information office of the Hunan provincial government Tuesday.

Themed "China and Africa: Together Toward Modernization," the expo is scheduled to run from June 12 to 15 in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province.

The event will feature 30 economic and trade activities in fields including China-Africa industrial chain collaboration, green minerals, infrastructure, traditional medicine, cultural industries and youth entrepreneurship.

For the first time, dedicated exhibitions will be held on renowned China-Africa cooperation brands, quality African goods, China-Africa tourism, and China-Africa cooperation in traditional Chinese medicine.

The main exhibition hall will be open to the public from June 13 to 15. The event will also have a sub-exhibition and an engineering machinery exhibition at two other venues.

Since its inception in 2019, the expo has facilitated the signing of 336 cooperation projects totaling 53.32 billion U.S. dollars.

In February, local authorities issued new policy measures aimed at promoting trade facilitation and the sustainable development of trade with Africa. These measures aim to address issues relating to market access, foreign exchange, trade facilitation, financing, and standards and rules.

Hunan's trade with Africa has ranked first among central and western Chinese regions for years, with the trade volume surging to 54.85 billion yuan (about 7.6 billion U.S. dollars) in 2024 from 18.16 billion yuan in 2018, official data showed.