adminideas and map the way forward on the China-Africa relations.
The meeting which was attended by 30 delegates from Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Tanzania was organised by the Chinese People’s Association for Peace and Disarmament, China’s largest non-governmental peace association.
The group made field visits to several projects in a number of provinces. One such visit was to the Yiwu Petty Commodity Market, an inland city located at the centre of southeast Zhejiang Province and 300km from China’s largest city Shanghai.
Described as “a paradise for business people and shopping tourists”, Yiwu attracts over 200 000 business people and tourists every day.
Yiwu is reputed as the largest commodities wholesale market in the whole world. The current market has an area of 4,7 million square metres, accommodates 70 000 booths and sells 1,7 million different commodities. The developers maintain that if a visitor spends at least three minutes at each booth on a basis of eight hours a day, it will take them one and a half years to visit the entire market.
In 2011, Yiwu realised an industrial output value of 1141,1 billion yuan and has now established two major industrial developments zones.
Among the several booths visited by the delegation was a Zimbabwean arts and crafts shop in the Imported Commodities Mall, which sells a variety of stone sculptures, paintings and other artworks. The presence of Zimbabwean goods in this gigantic market is because Yiwu has established business ties with 219 countries and regions globally.
The ICM has 10 categories of imported goods such as food, art-ware, furniture, clothing and jewellery from Africa, Brazil and Asia.
The growth and development of Yiwu is buoyed by China’s reform and opening up process, where it has adhered to the development strategy of “revitalising the city through commerce and trade”.
The group also toured afforestation and sand control projects, new energy industry and modern agriculture programmes in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous region in northwest China.
The final port of call was Shangyu Longking Import and Export company, which makes embroidery and other textile goods for export mainly to West Africa, the EU and the Americas.
Online Reporter