On July 7th, H.E. Amb. Jiang Feng, Head of Mission of China to the African Union, delivered a speech at the Briefing on the 140th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) at African Union, with Minister Counsellor Lyu Ruihao presiding over the event. Over 600 representatives from Chinese and African political and business circles took part both in-person and online, making it the largest promotional event of its kind in the Canton Fair’s history in terms of attendance and number of participating countries.

Amb. Jiang noted that economic and trade cooperation serves as the ballast stone of China-Africa relations, and the Canton Fair has been a powerful driver for China-Africa economic and trade exchanges. China stands ready to deepen strategic alignment with African partners, expand cooperation across more sectors, and jointly build a China-Africa community with a shared future. 

Zhu Yong, Director General of China Foreign Trade Centre (CFTC), stated that for the first time in its 70-year history, the Canton Fair has held a promotion event at an international organization. Aligned closely with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the Canton Fair will leverage the platform to forge new avenues for China-Africa cooperation.

H.E. Amb. Moussa Mohamed Omar, Deputy Chief of Staff of the AUC Chairperson, spoke highly of the event’s significance. He encouraged African enterprises and chambers of commerce to take an active part in the Canton Fair, deepen Africa-China economic and trade ties, and inject impetus into the development of the Global South.

The event featured an onsite showcase of innovative high-tech products including robots, exoskeletons, AI glasses and translation pens, which were met with great enthusiasm by attendees.