The second China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo closed on September 29 in Changsha, Hunan province, with 135 deals with a value of $22.9 billion sealed in areas such as trade, investment, infrastructure, agriculture, manufacturing, aviation and tourism.

These excellent outcomes further consolidate the legacy of this platform for fostering Sino-African ties in the trade and economic arena. About 900 companies from more than 40 countries participated in the event, compared with the 700 companies that took part in the inaugural expo in 2019.

With six African countries-Kenya, Algeria, Ethiopia, Rwanda, South Africa and Senegal－headlining the event as guests of honor, the expo signaled new opportunities as the continent races to firm up its trade and investment ties with China.

It was gratifying to see more agricultural produce from Africa gaining access to Chinese markets after elimination of restrictive entry barriers. This also saw crude oil, timber, copper, iron and other commodities making it to the list of imports from the continent.