Mira Pages, a Nigerian beauty parlor and salon, is among a growing number of African-owned businesses that have taken root in the Chinese capital.
Beijing has welcomed numerous foreign-funded small businesses in recent years as people from across the world are drawn by the city's dynamism and potential.
Shop owner Akinade Iyanuo-Luwa Dolapo has called the city home for a decade.
"I first came to China in 2011. Actually, marriage brought me to China. My husband works in China. And we got married and I had to move. He works in Beijing, so I had to come to Beijing," Dolapo told China Global Television Network (CGTN) in a recent interview at her place of business.
Dolapo's salon helps serve the hairstyle needs of the city's sizable community of African residents as well as people of all different backgrounds.
"We have a dreadlocks line. We have stuff for dreadlocks as well. We have a serum. We have a deep conditioner. We have a protein line as well. We have (something) for everything and more is coming," Dolapo said.
"We have Chinese clients, we have white clients, we have black clients. Let's just say all races. So, for our salon, we cut across all races, we cut across all textures. We do Chinese, we do white (people), even if you're Latino -- all hair textures," she added.
To Dolapo, Beijing is a vibrant global city that embraces people from all over the world.
"Thank you to Beijing for giving foreigners the opportunity to expand ourselves, expand our talent," she said.
The Chinese capital has introduced further measures to make it more convenient for foreign entrepreneurs to start a business, including by streamlining the procedures for obtaining business licenses by foreigners.
Dolapo said she sees a promising future for her business in Beijing thanks to all the policy support and a favorable environment.
Nigerian hair salon thrives in Beijing
The China-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum is expected to bring new vitality to the global development and human civilization, said Colombian President Gustavo Petro in Beijing.
Petro, who delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC Forum on Wednesday, told China Media Group (CMG) in an interview, while giving a special mention of the importance of the forum as a platform to reshape multilateralism.
"This Forum, held here in China, comes at a pivotal moment in history. And that's precisely what makes it so significant. It is taking place at a time when multilateralism is in urgent need of reshaping. There are some powers who believe they can rule the world through intimidation and shows of force. But with China and Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries standing together, we must make them understand: history is full of hard lessons. Those who once flexed their military might did not prevail. They may have enjoyed momentary success in the past, but this time, history will not repeat itself," he said.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the China-CELAC Forum's operation.
Chinese President Xi Jinping stated in his speech delivered at the opening ceremony of the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC Forum that under the careful cultivation of both sides over the past 10 years, the China-CELAC Forum has grown from a tender sapling into a towering tree.
Petro hailed the relations between China and LAC countries over the past decade, saying that the cooperation is expected to energize the global development and human civilization.
"Yes, exactly, a tree. A strong and thriving tree, with deep and well-developed roots firmly anchored in the earth. There's no doubt that over the past ten years, trade in physical goods between China and LAC countries has grown substantially. China is involved in building the Bogota metro project. China is also constructing a port in Peru, and many other large-scale infrastructure projects are being advanced through Chinese investment and engineering expertise. When we link the cultural and civilizational threads of China and LAC countries, it's as if we are nurturing a living tree, one that grows tall toward the sky and promises to bring new vitality to the human civilization," he said.
China-CELAC Forum brings new vitality to global development: Colombian president
