The eighth Conference of Chinese and African Entrepreneurs opened in Beijing on Friday morning as a key event of the ongoing 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) to promote trade exchanges between the two sides.
This year's primary focus is on two topics -- promoting the integration of industrial and supply chains, and the development of emerging industries, which are aligned with the theme of the 2024 FOCAC Summit, the nine programs outlined in the China-Africa Cooperation Vision 2035, and the important documents and projects like the African Union's Agenda 2063.
The conference has attracted more than 1,000 participants, including over 400 representatives from business associations and institutions across 48 African countries, including Senegal, South Africa and Kenya.
The participating companies come from both traditional industries, such as energy and mining, and emerging industries such as electronic technology, communications satellites and biomedicine.
Organized by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and China's Ministry of Commerce, the conference is the highest-level economic and trade event within the FOCAC framework for the business communities of both sides.
The event features an opening ceremony, keynote speeches, and a closing session, during which leaders from China and Africa addressed the conference, discussing how to enhance friendship and cooperation between the two sides while offering expectations and suggestions for future collaboration.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony It's the first time for this conference to be held off line since the end of COVID-19 global health emergency.
Official data shows the economic trade volume between China and Africa topped 280 billion U.S. dollars last year, hitting a record high for two consecutive years.
Over the past three years, Chinese enterprises have contributed to the creation of over 1.1 million jobs on the African continent.
8th Conference of Chinese and African Entrepreneurs opens in Beijing to boost trade ties
8th Conference of Chinese and African Entrepreneurs opens in Beijing to boost trade ties
8th Conference of Chinese and African Entrepreneurs opens in Beijing to boost trade ties
A large array of newly developed products and technologies for smart construction is on display at the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, demonstrating how smart manufacturing facilities can make engineering more efficient and energy-saving.
At the Shougang Park in western capital city, one of the major exhibition areas of this year's CIFTIS, a total of 123 leading construction enterprises from home and abroad have been showcasing their groundbreaking achievements of intelligent engineering construction.
One of the highlights is an unmanned tower crane designed by China Construction Eighth Engineering Division. With multiple sensors and intelligent control systems, the equipment can be operated remotely and reduce costs by more than one-third.
The product is part of the company's engineering solution of 5G smart construction sites. The overall architecture of the system is supported by a 5G telecom network and various advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and Internet of Things (IoT). According its developer, the solution enables effective labor management, workplace safety inspection and quality control.
"The 'smart construction site' significantly reduces costs, saving about 70 to 80 percent, which greatly lowers our management expenses," said Liu Dawei, design manager at General Contracting Company Beijing Branch of China Construction Eighth Engineering Division.
China Construction First Group showcases its containerized concrete modules at the exhibition. This structure, integrating interior and exterior decorations, electromechanical, equipment piping, kitchen and sanitary facilities, can be directly lifted and assemble together, making house construction as easy as building blocks.
"The modules produced by the factory are already rooms with decoration done. When assembling them on site, we mainly use the dry operation including welding and bolted connection, free from the need for another concrete pouring. This approach significantly shortens the construction period and minimizes weather-related limitations, allowing an early completion of the entire building," said Ruan Hao, head of the design manager department of the Design and Research Institute under China Construction First Group.
The five-day CIFTIS 2024 kicked off simultaneously at the China National Convention Center (CNCC) in eastern Beijing and the Shougang Park in the western capital area on Thursday, spotlighting the latest achievements and trends of trade in services, with activities ranging from summits and exhibitions to business negotiations and promotions, as well as achievement releases.
Smart construction technologies displayed at CIFTIS 2024
