China to boost private sector cooperation with Africa

Chinese and African officials and business representatives gathered on Saturday at the China-Africa Private Sector Cooperation Forum, in China’s southern sci-tech and advanced manufacturing hub of Shenzhen, for discussions aimed at boosting Africa's industrialization.

Themed "Pragmatically Deepen China-Africa Cooperation for Boosting the Industrial Development in Africa", the forum was attended by over 250 Chinese and foreign delegates and featured keynote speeches, report releases, and cross-border private enterprise matchmaking sessions.

Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in a speech at the forum, said that he hopes to replicate Shenzhen's successful industrial transformation across Africa.

"Our focus in Ghana is clear - to identify and leverage investment opportunities in industrialization, the modernization of agriculture, and green development," he said.

Akufo-Addo also highlighted the potential for investment in renewable energy, which was echoed by Chinese delegates at the forum.

"We will work together to build an engine of green growth, support African countries in accelerating the construction and integration of green industrial chains, and make green development the brightest sector of the Belt and Road cooperation between China and Africa," said Gao Yunlong, chairman of All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce.

Business representatives from sectors including medical and health care, transportation, and e-commerce also engaged in business matchmaking sessions to forge new partnerships.

"I come from Ethiopia. My name is Yared Ayele. We are just come here for the meeting to discuss, the business discussion, with our manufacturer, who I am distributor for this area," said Yared Ayele, a distributor at Al Huseini Group Trading.

"We came here in China, on Saturday, and we had different meetings with the different communities, business leaders, and those one that are willing to invest in Angola, and we are very happy," said Luis Cupenala, president of the Angola China Chamber of Commerce.

"It is a great honor to be invited by Bank of China to participate in this conference, we have just talked with the China and Angola Chamber of Commerce to know their local demands for LED solution in Angola, we are looking forward to having more cooperation," said Frank Huang, brand director of Unilumin Group, a world leading LED product and system solution provider.

China to boost private sector cooperation with Africa

Cities in China's Yangtze River Delta region have triggered emergency responses, including cancellation of trains and flights, road closures, and the relocation of affected civilians, after Typhoon Bebinca made landfall in Shanghai on Monday, causing extensive disruption as it moves northwestward.

Bebinca, the 13th typhoon of the year, made landfall in the Pudong District of Shanghai around 07:30 on Monday morning.

At the time of landfall, the maximum wind speed near the eye of the storm was about 42 meters per second, making it the strongest typhoon to land in Shanghai in decades.

In preparation for the storm, the city had relocated over 410,000 residents, canceled 577 trains and 1,461 flights.

On Monday afternoon, the first flights landed at Pudong International Airport and Hongqiao International Airport in Shanghai since the two airports announced on Sunday evening that all flights were cancelled because of Bebinca.

In nearby Jiangsu Province, cities including Nantong and Suzhou have been lashed by gales and strong rainfall. Expressways in parts of Suzhou, Nantong, Wuxi and Changzhou cities were closed while reduced speed limits, toll booth closures and the closures of bridges across the the Yangtze River were also put into effect.

Over 21,000 vessels have returned to ports in Jiangsu, while more than 7,700 construction sites and 315 scenic spots in the province have also been closed.

In Zhejiang Province's eastern coastal city of Zhoushan, local authorities relocated over 44,000 residents living in the danger-prone regions.

At 15:00 on Monday, China's State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters lowered the emergency response for Shanghai and Zhejiang from the previous Level III to Level IV, while the emergency response status for Jiangsu and east China's Anhui Province has been maintained at Level IV.

China's National Meteorological Center said that Bebinca will bring more heavy or torrential rain to Shanghai, northern Zhejiang, southern Jiangsu, Anhui and Henan in the next three days.

Emergency responses triggered across eastern China in face of Typhoon Bebinca