China-Africa: Twenty countries to participate in China trade fair to boost African exports
Around 20 African countries will participate in an economic fair in Xiamen (south-east), China , aimed to boost African exports to the Chinese market dominated until now by oil and natural resources which China crave to import from Africa to fuel its booming economy.
It’s the second fair after the former held in 2006, as “African Commodities Exhibition 2006″ on the occasion of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, said the Chinese ministry of Commerce in its website.
China said ACE 2008 will continue to be sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce with an area of 3,600 square metres to help the African product to enter China, while many commentators in Beijing said it will change nothing to the current economic trend as China makes many barriers to importing African products other than oil and natural resources.
China imports from Africa only oil and natural resources and makes barriers to importing any other products such as agricultural products, said an African diplomat to APA.
During the first-half of 2008 bilateral trade between China and Africa grew almost 66 percent year-on-year to 53.14 billion US dollars. The growth rate was about 40 percentage points higher than the year-earlier level, according to figures recently released by the Chinese customs administration.
The total included 23 billion US dollars in exports to Africa, up 40 percent, and about 30 billion US dollars in imports, up about 92 percent. The import growth rate was almost 85 percentage points higher.
The administration attributed the rapid growth rates largely to an economic upturn in Africa and mounting Chinese demand for resources.
The exhibition aims to set out and publicize those traditional, preponderant commodities from African countries, to promote intercommunication between African enterprises and their Chinese counterparts, and to help enterprises from African countries develop Chinese market and expand their exports to China said the organizers.
African products such as amethysts, citrine, emeralds, malachite, wood carving and other handicrafts, African garments, gum acacia, palm oil, olive oil, cocoa and cocoa products will be on display in the 3,500 sq m exhibition.
(APA)