China cements trade cooperation with Africa for more fruitful outcomes

China will further deepen economic and trade cooperation with African countries to deliver more substantial results, said He Yadong, spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce, at a regular press briefing on Thursday.

In response to a media query on China's trade ties with African countries, the spokesman said China has held multiple international exhibitions to encourage enterprises from both sides to reach more import and export transactions.

The ongoing fourth China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, which runs through Sunday in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, welcomed nearly 4,700 Chinese and African companies, business associations and financial institutions, He added, citing it as an example.

China, with the construction of economic and trade cooperation zones as a platform, has guided Chinese enterprises to form industrial clusters in sectors such as agricultural processing, light industry, building materials, and home appliances in African countries, based on their resource endowments and comparative advantages, so as to deepen the integration of China-Africa industrial and supply chains, the spokesman said.

"China supports its enterprises to actively participate in projects such as roads, aviation, power and communications in Africa and encourage financial institutions to provide financing for cooperation projects. The contract value of China's projects in Africa reached 137.67 billion yuan (about 19.2 billion U.S dollars), from the conclusion of the 2024 Summit of the Form on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) [on Sept 5, 2024], to the end of April in this year," said He.

According to the spokesman, China will further expand its opening up to Africa countries.

China will work with Africa to take the ten partnership actions for modernization, which were put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping in a speech at the opening ceremony of 2024 FOCAC summit, to deepen China-Africa economic and trade cooperation and deliver substantial results from it, said He.

China cements trade cooperation with Africa for more fruitful outcomes

Multiple states across Brazil have been gripped by an intense heatwave in recent days, prompting local authorities to issue weather alerts and urging residents to take precautions, with the high temperatures forecast to continue.

Southeastern states including Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Minas Gerais have been experiencing the most extreme heat, with temperatures climbing to a sweltering high of 40.8 degrees Celsius in Rio de Janeiro on Monday.

Authorities across the country have been sending out weather warnings, with residents being advised to avoid prolonged outdoor activities and medics reminding people to take measures to ensure they stay hydrated.

"[You have to] drink plenty of water, use a fan. There is not much you can do to escape it, really. It is absurdly hot," said Ana Flavia, a local resident in Sao Paulo.

"With this change in temperature and the excessive heat, we see a lot of cases of dehydration," said Tiago Foliate Pitirilo, a doctor from the city's Hospital Sao Camilo.

The sweltering heat may be around for a while more, according to experts, who say higher water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean mean Brazil is likely to face more frequent heatwaves this year.

"The ocean forecast indicates that in the second half of the year we will have a warmer Pacific Ocean. This allows us to infer that the number of heat waves in 2026 may be higher than last year, when the Pacific Ocean was cooler," said Marecelo Seluchi, a meteorologist from Brazil's National Center for Monitoring and Alerts for Natural Disasters (CEMADEN).

Brazil in midst of heatwave with more extreme temperatures expected