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China-Africa relations
ChinaDiplomacy

Chinese provinces race along Xi Jinping’s ‘green lanes’ to Africa trade

  • Hunan leads emerging local-level drivers of China- Africa cooperation, alongside powerhouse provinces of Zhejiang and Guangdong
  • Greater decentralisation and autonomy continue to allow and encourage local authorities to ‘go out’ to Africa, analysts note

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The entrance to the second China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in Changsha, Hunan province, in September 2021. Photo: Xinhua
Jevans Nyabiage
When Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed “green lanes” last year to boost African agricultural imports, central Hunan became the first Chinese province to implement the plan.

Regulations approved by provincial lawmakers included the building of a free-trade zone and a distribution, trading and processing centre for African non-resource products, as well as the setting up of a “green customs clearance” system for African imports.

They also passed bills to build a railway-sea transport channel between landlocked Hunan and southern coastal province Guangdong, expand the passenger and cargo route network from provincial capital Changsha to major African aviation hubs, and develop a river-sea transport relay route to major African ports.

Hunan has since allowed Ethiopian Airlines to launch a new cargo route between Addis Ababa and Changsha, handling an estimated annual throughput of 17,000 tonnes of cargo, with authorities hoping the capital will become a major China-Africa trade and logistics hub.

The province is among the emerging drivers of China- Africa cooperation, with trade volume reaching US$6.34 billion in 2021, an increase of nearly 40 per cent from the previous year.

A number of other Chinese provinces and cities have also backed more of their companies to invest in Africa in line with central government policies, thus boosting two-way trade.

These companies are helping to develop Africa’s supply chains amid disruptions to global trade caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

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