Local African companies see a promising opportunity to build more partnerships with China at The 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), said Ali Adji Mahamat Seid, president of the largest business association in Africa.
The Pan African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PACCI), an association with more than 50 national chambers, was established in 2009 to serve the African business community. According to Seid, it serves a vital role in bridging the gap between government and private businesses across the continent.
"The chamber is an essential institution in this operation. We speak to the government, but we also speak to the private sector, trying to bring them closer and to effectively allow different countries to benefit. The chamber also supports businesses in capacity-building through training, upgrading and support. Therefore, the chamber is an essential instrument of the African economy for the diversification of economic development," he explained in an exclusive interview with China Global Television Network in Beijing on Wednesday.
Seid, also the President of Chad's Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Agriculture, Mines, and Handicrafts, highlighted that China has been the Central African country's largest trading and investment partner for many years.
"China has massively invested in Chad. Because of that, we now have facilities for Chinese companies to set up businesses. Our relations have truly become strategic, not just for the Chinese government, but also for Chad," he said.
The chamber president stressed that the FOCAC summit presents a chance for African businesses to learn about global leading companies. "China is effectively investing in key sectors of our economy and we actually intend to strengthen these partnerships, which directly benefit the population and economic development. We count on this meeting to strengthen cooperation among companies. So, this is what we came looking for," he added.
The three-day FOCAC summit, which opened on Wednesday, is the largest diplomatic event hosted by China in recent years, with the highest attendance of foreign leaders.
Themed "Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future," the event aims to strengthen friendship and outline future cooperation between the two sides.
2024 FOCAC Summit presents opportunities for African businesses: Pan African Chamber president
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
