The fourth China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo concluded on Sunday, with bumper deals signed as China and Africa seek to deepen economic cooperation.
The organizing committee announced that 176 projects worth 11.39 billion U.S. dollars were signed at the expo. The two figures were up 45.8 percent and 10.6 percent from the last session in 2023. They involved cooperation in Sino-African industrial chains, infrastructure development, and innovative start-ups.
Exhibitors from 43 participating African countries brought their signature products, including agricultural and food products, handicraft works, and jewelry.
The four-day event featured dedicated zones highlighting smart mining technology, clean energy, modern agricultural machinery, and construction equipment.
For the first time, the expo included dedicated exhibitions on renowned China-Africa cooperation brands, quality African goods, and China-Africa fashion industries.
By noon on Sunday, more than 200,000 people had visited the expo's main venue in Changsha, the capital of central China's Hunan Province.
"Among the 2,100 exhibitors at the event, 764 are from African countries, accounting for more than 30 percent of the total. This indicates that both China and Africa are more enthusiastic about participating in the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo. Finalized or tentative deals made at the main site were estimated to total 2.5 billion yuan (about 348 million U.S. dollars). More than 200,000 people had visited the expo's main venue, doubling the turnout from the last session," said Shen Yumou, head of the Hunan provincial commerce department.
At a parallel expo on heavy machinery held in the neighboring city of Xiangtan, tentative deals worth 200 million yuan (about 27.84 million U.S. dollars ) were signed.
The event was co-hosted by the Hunan provincial government and China's Ministry of Commerce, drawing over 4,700 Chinese and African companies and 30,000 participants to participate in exhibitions and meetings.
The expo also released "The Blue Book of China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation: Development Report (2025)," which records the profound transformation China-Africa cooperation has undergone over the past years.
Agricultural trade between China and Africa is transitioning from raw material exports to processed goods, cooperation in digital and technology-related services is gaining traction, and cross-border e-commerce is playing a growing role alongside traditional trade channels, said the document.
By 2024, China had been Africa's largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years, and the bilateral trade growth has continued to accelerate in 2025.
China-Africa expo closes with bumper deals signed
