City cultivates its continental connections

Changsha, capital of Hunan province, is scaling up its trade and bolstering its cooperation with Africa.

In 2022, Changsha's trade volume with Africa reached 24.47 billion yuan ($3.37 billion), a year-on-year increase of 72.3 percent, and it accounted for 44 percent of the provinces' total trade volume with Africa.

From January to April, the trade volume of Changsha to Africa reached 9.8 billion yuan, increasing 78.2 percent year-on-year and accounting for 44.5 percent of Hunan's total trade volume with African countries.

With its trade and economic ties booming, the city is accelerating its efforts to build platforms for cooperation with Africa.

One example is the China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation Innovation Demonstration Park in Gaoqiao Grand Market.

The park is a center for the import of non-resource products from Africa. The park boasts 10 trade industry chains and more than 100 African products, including coffee and nuts.

Another is the China-Africa financial platform that provides one-stop services for promoting China-Africa economic and trade exchanges.

In addition, a China-Africa cross-border renminbi center has been established to open up RMB spot foreign exchange transactions for six African countries.

Among the Changsha-based companies that have projects in African countries are LongPing Agriscience, which has inked indented cooperation agreements in agriculture with Tanzania's ministry of agriculture; and Kilimall that has become a leading local e-commerce platform in East Africa.

Changsha will strive to create an internationally influential demonstration highland for deep cooperation with Africa, promote the construction of a new barter trade pilot area, increase its exports to Africa through market procurement trade and improve the efficiency of handling procedures for market access to African agricultural products.