The fourth China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo commenced on Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Changsha, the capital city of Hunan Province in central China. The four-day event, themed "China and Africa: Together Toward Modernization," is drawing significant attention, with nearly 4,700 Chinese and African companies and over 30,000 participants attending. The expo aims to strengthen economic ties and foster new opportunities for cooperation between China and African nations.

During the opening ceremony, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi affirmed China's unwavering support for Africa's modernization, irrespective of global circumstances. He highlighted China's commitment to expanding its opening-up to Africa, encouraging more African products to enter the Chinese market, and fostering new cooperation highlights. Wang emphasized the expo's role as a vital mechanism for China-Africa economic and trade collaboration, predicting that this year's event would generate even more opportunities for both sides. China also pledged to assist Africa in promoting industrialization and digital transformation, aiming to elevate cooperation to higher, deeper, and broader levels.

China has consistently been Africa's largest trading partner for the past 16 years. Last year, bilateral trade volume reached a record high of $295.6 billion, marking a 4.8 percent year-on-year increase for the fourth consecutive year, according to the Ministry of Commerce. The current expo itself is setting new records, with over 4,700 participating companies and an expected 175 cooperation projects to be signed, valued at an impressive $11.39 billion, as confirmed by the Hunan provincial government and the Ministry of Commerce, the event's organizers.

African leaders, including Ugandan Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja and Liberian Vice-President Jeremiah Kpan Koung, expressed profound gratitude for China's substantial contributions to Africa's economic growth. They conveyed their anticipation for comprehensive cooperation with China across various sectors, including economic and trade investment, industrial parks, green energy, digital transformation, logistics and transportation, and agricultural modernization.

Investment between China and Africa continues its steady growth. Kenya Airways, for instance, is celebrating its 20th anniversary of operations in China and plans to launch direct flights between Nairobi and Beijing, marking the first direct connection between their capitals. This new route is expected to further facilitate trade and goodwill. Meanwhile, Chinese companies are increasing their investments in Africa, which has been the largest market for China's export of goods for foreign contracted projects since 2022. Agco (Changzhou) Agricultural Machinery Co, a major tractor and generator manufacturer, reported a 23 percent year-on-year increase in exports to Africa, totaling 23.93 million yuan ($3.3 million) in the first five months of the year, driven by rising demand for agricultural machinery.

Overall, China's total import and export value with Africa reached 963.21 billion yuan from January to May, a 12.4 percent year-on-year increase and a new record. This includes 599.57 billion yuan in exports from China to Africa (up 20.2 percent year-on-year) and 363.64 billion yuan in imports from Africa to China (up 1.6 percent year-on-year), demonstrating robust and expanding economic ties between the two regions.