More than 150 Chinese enterprises will be participating in the first commodity expo to be opened here Thursday to showcase their products, technology and services.

The 2013 (Africa) China Commodities, Technology & Service Expo will be held till Sunday at Millennium Hall in the Ethiopian capital, where the Chinese enterprises are expected to put on display their products in the areas of agriculture, electricity, automobile, hardware, building materials, electrical appliances.

At a press conference on the premises of the Ethiopian Ministry of Industry on Wednesday, Han Shengjian, Deputy Director of Chinese Trade Development Bureau, said the Expo in Africa's political capital serves as a platform for China-Africa cooperation.

It further deepens China's comprehensive partnership and cooperation with Ethiopia and Africa in general, the official said.

In his congratulatory message in connection with the Expo, Gao Hucheng, Chinese Minister of Commerce, noted that China is keen to work with African counterparts to consolidate the progress achieved through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

Gao said the Expo, held within the framework of FOCAC, provides a platform to display the Chinese products, technology and services, playing a crucial role in upgrading the Sino-African new strategic partnership.

"China is now willing to work with African counterparts to consolidate the progress made through the Forum, seize new opportunities, identify starting points for mutual benefits and common success, promote a comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable growth of bilateral business cooperation, carry out substantial activities to enrich this new strategic partnership, and make active, continued contribution to the economic development for both sides and the world economic recovery," said the minister.

Han also revealed that Justin Yifu Lin, former chief economist and Senior Vice President of World Bank, Councilor of the State Council of China and Vice President of All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, has also written a congratulatory letter in connection with the Expo.

Justin Yifu Lin expressed hope that African countries draw upon the developing mode of China to identify and promote industries with latent comparative advantages based on their endowment structure, focus on their limited resources and efforts.

Justin also expressed hope that the Expo could establish a platform for the Chinese manufacturing sectors to combine their strength with corresponding sectors in Ethiopia and other African countries, supporting the growth of industries with comparative advantages in Africa, and achieving a win-win result for both Africa and China.

"Ethiopia and China are long-time reliable cooperative partners, " said Hailemariam Desalegn, Ethiopian Prime Minister, in his message for the Expo. "The bilateral relation is faced with huge opportunities."

The Prime Minister hopes that the Expo could become an important platform for China and Ethiopia to carry out economic and trade cooperation, and further promote the exchanges and cooperation between the countries industry and commerce circles thus achieving win-win cooperation.



Also in her message, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, said the Expo becomes a platform to promote the exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and African countries.

It also serve as a platform to attract more Chinese enterprises, technology and services into Africa thus achieving common development by complementing the other with its respective advantages, said the chairperson.

Speaking during the press conference today, Sisay Gemechu, Ethiopian State Minister of Industry, noted that the Expo is an important occasion for the Chinese enterprises and also to the Ethiopian side.

The deputy director of the Chinese Trade Development Bureau noted that in collaboration with the Ethiopian side such Expo would be held on an annual basis here in Ethiopia.





He said Ethiopia has been the venue for the Expo because the country is the seat for the AU Headquarters and that of the UN Economic Commission for Africa.