Business representatives from the four African countries of
Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Mali have been given free booths at
China's largest trade fair - the Canton Fair - in an attempt to
promote China-Africa trade relations.
"Apart from inviting African business representatives to the
fair, we will also launch promotional campaigns to help African
products enter the Chinese market," said Xu Bing, deputy secretary
general of the fair.
It is the first time the 50-year-old Canton Fair, now formally
known as the "China Import and Export Fair", has featured an
import section.
In recent years, China's imports from African countries have
increased dramatically due to a huge rise in oil imports. In late
2003, it also removed tariffs on 190 commodities imported from the
25 most undeveloped African countries, such as Tanzania, Zambia and
Mali.
At the China-Africa Cooperation Forum last year, China announced
that 442 commodities from Africa would be exempt from tariffs,
covering almost all the products exported to China.
Last year, China exported US$26.7 billion worth of commodities
to Africa and imported US$28.8 billion worth of products.
The biannual Canton fair is held in Guangzhou every spring and
autumn. The last fair attracted 192,691 buyers from 212 countries
and regions.
(Xinhua News Agency April 18, 2007)