Trade facilitation, weaving a dense network of China Africa economic and trade cooperation

In the early morning, dew drops hung on the newly harvested rose petals at Tambuji Flower Farm in Kenya. These flowers will appear on the shelves of Gaoqiao Market in Changsha, China, thousands of miles away within 48 hours. According to Clement Tulaizi, CEO of the Kenya Flower Association, the Chinese government announced in November 2021 the establishment of a "green channel" for African agricultural products to be exported to China, shortening inspection and quarantine time, expanding tariff exemptions, and opening up sales channels for Kenyan flowers and specialty agricultural products such as avocados, citrus fruits, and pineapples from various African countries.

Essential oils from Madagascar, gemstones from Zambia, coffee from Ethiopia, wood carvings from Zimbabwe, wine from South Africa, cosmetics from Senegal... In recent years, with the implementation of a series of China Africa trade facilitation measures, African goods have been competing to become popular in the Chinese market.

From the "Ten Major Cooperation Plans" to the "Eight Major Actions", and then to the "Nine Projects", trade facilitation has always been one of the important issues in China Africa cooperation. Driven by the pragmatic measures taken at previous sessions of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation, China Africa economic and trade cooperation has maintained strong vitality and continuously achieved fruitful results. China has been Africa's largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years. According to data from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, in 2023, the trade volume between China and Africa reached a historical peak of 282.1 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 1.5%.

China Africa trade not only reaches new highs in scale, but also continues to optimize in structure. Non imported agricultural products have become a growth highlight. In 2023, China's non imported nuts, vegetables, flowers, and fruits will increase by 130%, 32%, 14%, and 7% year-on-year, respectively. Mechanical and electrical products have become the "main force" in exports to Africa, and the "new three types" of products have achieved rapid growth in exports to Africa, providing strong support for Africa's green energy transformation.

Why can China Africa trade maintain vitality and flow?

The strong complementarity between the economies of China and Africa lays the foundation for bilateral economic and trade cooperation. From agriculture to infrastructure construction, and then to manufacturing and service industries, the complementarity between the Chinese and African economies is reflected in a wide range of fields such as industrial cooperation, technical assistance, market potential, and human resources cooperation. In the process of aligning development strategies, the demand for China Africa economic and trade cooperation continues to be released, and the momentum continues to increase. With the continuous influx of high-quality agricultural products and abundant mineral resources from Africa into China, China has also brought new technologies and formats such as commercial logistics, digital economy, clean energy, health and hygiene, green development, and finance to Africa.

The increasing measures to facilitate trade between China and Africa have injected momentum into bilateral economic and trade cooperation. With the official launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area, strengthening trade cooperation with China has become a consensus among African countries. At the same time, China is constantly expanding the channels for African products to enter the Chinese market. As of June 2023, under the trade promotion project, 16 agricultural products from 11 African countries have been granted access to China under the "Green Channel" policy, and 21 African countries have already enjoyed zero tariff treatment for 98% of their products exported to China. In addition to global exhibitions such as the China International Import Expo and the China International Consumer Goods Expo, China has also established platforms such as the China Africa Economic and Trade Expo specifically for African countries, enhancing the market awareness of African products.

The level of connectivity between China and Africa continues to improve, providing support for bilateral economic and trade cooperation. The development of trade relies on good transportation infrastructure. In recent years, the cooperation in infrastructure construction between China and Africa has achieved remarkable results, providing strong support for promoting trade facilitation between China and Africa. Over 10000 kilometers of railways, nearly 100000 kilometers of highways, nearly a thousand bridges, nearly a hundred ports, and numerous hospitals and schools... Chinese enterprises have implemented a number of landmark projects and "small yet beautiful" projects in the fields of transportation, energy, electricity, housing, and people's livelihoods in Africa. The continuous improvement of regional connectivity on the African continent has greatly promoted the economic development of Africa and woven the China Africa economic and trade cooperation network.

Nowadays, the field of China Africa economic and trade cooperation is constantly expanding, extending from traditional trade and engineering construction to emerging fields such as digital, green, aerospace, and finance. The "African Brand Warehouse" project in China helps Rwanda incubate brands and customize packaging for chili peppers and other products exported to China, taking a boutique route; Drawing on Chinese technology, Kenya's local white corn varieties have been successfully tested and planted, with yields 50% higher than those of similar corn varieties in the surrounding areas; China has signed civil aviation transport agreements with 27 African countries, and has built and launched communication and meteorological satellites for countries such as Algeria and Nigeria. New fields, new formats, and new models continue to emerge, and China Africa cooperation continues to develop in an all-round, multi-level, and high-quality manner, leading the international cooperation with Africa.

In January of this year, the Chinese State Council approved the overall plan for the construction of the China Africa Economic and Trade Deep Cooperation Pilot Zone. The construction of a pilot zone for deep economic and trade cooperation between China and Africa is in line with the demands of both sides and has set a new benchmark for international cooperation with Africa. Looking ahead, the smooth trade between China and Africa will create more new opportunities for the economic and social development of African countries, and tighten the bond of the China Africa community with a shared future in the new era.