China welcomes enterprises from Africa to participate in the China International Import Expo — scheduled for November in Shanghai — to seek business opportunities in the domestic market, a senior official from the CIIE bureau said at a promotional webinar on April 28.

Liu Fuxue, deputy director-general of the CIIE Bureau, said the expo is crucial in promoting trade between China and Africa. Over 450 companies from nearly 50 African countries joined the expo in the past three years, showcasing products such as Kenyan coffee, South African tea and Zambian honey, which are popular among Chinese consumers.

Agricultural products from South African exhibitors, for instance, settled orders worth $210 million at the CIIE last year, according to Zhao Zhongyi, minister counselor of the economic and commercial office of the Chinese Embassy in South Africa.

"We welcome more exhibitors from Kenya, which is home to competitive export commodities in East Africa," said Zhang Yijun, minister counselor of economic and commercial office of the Chinese Embassy in Kenya. "China-Kenya trade saw a year-on-year growth of 7.2 percent in 2020."

"China and Africa share a solid foundation for economic and trade cooperation. As one of the largest banks in China, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China will work with Standard Bank Group -one of the largest South African financial services groups- to help more African companies enter the Chinese market, through the CIIE and related activities," said Liu Rui from the international business department of ICBC.

By Cao Chen