On 26-29 September 2021, the Second China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo (CAETE) was held in a hybrid format, in Changsha City, Hunan Province China.
On behalf of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH China, Mr. Hagen Ettner, the German Director of Sino-German Center for Sustainable Development (CSD), delivered a keynote speech in the China-Africa Food and Agro Products Cooperation Forum during CAETE, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Department of Commerce (DofCom) of Hunan Province to further promote triangular cooperation between Germany, China, and Africa.
The signature of the MoU between GIZ and Hunan DofCom illustrates the shared interests and commitments of the two parties to support sustainable development in Africa and to implement the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. It formalizes the partnership between the two and creates a framework for future cooperation.
The establishment of the partnership also marks the very first successful attempt of CSD to cooperate with Chinese local government in international development cooperation. The two sides agreed to further explore cooperation potentials in the areas including agriculture, climate and environment, industrial manufacturing, infrastructure, health, economic development and trade, and technical and vocational education and training.
Located in central China, Hunan Provincial Government is an important actor in China’s cooperation with Africa. Its interaction with Africa has a long history and is developing rapidly. Hunan provincial government has been taking a leading role at local level in a series of major China-Africa cooperation efforts, and Changsha, its capital city, was selected as the permanent host of the CAETE.
Announced as part of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Beijing Action Plan in 2018, CAETE is a biannual event jointly established by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the Hunan Provincial Government, as a platform for deepening economic and trade cooperation between China and Africa.
