China will deepen industrial and supply chain cooperation with Africa at the upcoming second CISCE meeting

Engineering vehicles exported to Guinea are loaded onto a China-Africa liner at Yantai port in eastern China’s Shandong province, January 25, 2024. Photo: VCG

China will deepen business cooperation with African countries on industry and supply chain integration, promoting mutual benefits and shared growth in the context of the upcoming China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE), a spokesman for the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) said on Sunday.

The second edition of CISCE will be held in Beijing on November 26–30. As the world’s first supply chain exhibition, the event provides another important bridge in supporting international business cooperation following the long-awaited China-Africa Cooperation Forum Summit.

Wang Linjie, spokesman for CCPIT, said on Sunday during a regular press conference that China will make full use of CISCE as a platform to enhance trade, strengthen investment partnerships, boost innovation and encourage knowledge sharing to promote China-Africa business cooperation and chain integration industrial.

The event aims to better strengthen mutual industrial progress, benefit sharing and common development, and at the same time will contribute to the stability and smooth operation of global industrial and supply chains, Wang said.

During the China-Africa Cooperation Forum Summit held in early September this year, Chinese leaders reaffirmed the country’s commitment to deepen industrial chain cooperation with Africa, warmly inviting African enterprises to actively participate in the upcoming Expo.

In line with the unilateral market opening announced at the China-Africa Cooperation Forum Summit, CISCE will increase support for the participation of African enterprises by offering free booths and setup services to least developed countries, Wang added.

In early September, the long-awaited summit of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum concluded with the Beijing Declaration, which focused on strengthening investment cooperation in multiple sectors to jointly build a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future.

During the summit, the Chinese government also pledged to expand unilateral opening to least developed countries, including African countries, and encourage Chinese enterprises to increase direct investment in Africa.

According to Wang, the upcoming CISCE event invited government departments, business associations and African enterprises from many sectors, including agriculture and mining, to exhibit their products and visit the Expo.

Wang also emphasized that the upcoming CISCE meeting will adopt a tailor-made “one country, one policy” and “one group, one policy” approach to help African enterprises strengthen supply and demand linkages, find upstream and downstream partners, and ensuring high-quality contracts for local industries in China.

So far, African countries such as Ethiopia, Côte d’Ivoire, Rwanda, Morocco, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the African Union have confirmed their participation in the Expo. Meanwhile, according to CCPIT, African companies from various sectors, including agriculture and mining, will showcase their products at this landmark event.

Global times