The third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo kicked off Thursday in Changsha, the capital of central China's Hunan Province. Representatives from 53 African countries and multiple international organizations are attending. Themed "Common development for a shared future", the four-day event welcomes more "Made in Africa" products into China and aims to boost business links between the two sides. This year's expo features 1,500 exhibitors, up 70 percent from the previous edition. Since its launch in 2019, the expo has become a major platform for strengthening economic and trade cooperation between China and Africa. Our reporter Dai Kaiyi has more.

China and Africa begin another chapter of cooperation this week with the opening of the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in Changsha, the capital of Central China's Hunan Province. Both sides see the event as a way to strengthen economic and trade relations.

HAN ZHENG Chinese Vice President "The Chinese side is ready to provide new opportunities for Africa through Chinese modernization and China's high-quality development. We aim to deepen practical cooperation between China and Africa, achieving even more fruitful outcomes. Together, we strive to build a closer China-Africa community with a shared future."

China has been Africa's largest trading partner for 14 straight years. Official data shows that bilateral trade between China and Africa reached 282 billion dollars in 2022.

Over the years, cooperation between the two sides has extended from trade and construction to emerging areas like digital infrastructure, green development, aviation and space exploration.

LAZARUS MCCARTHY CHAKWERA President of the Republic of Malawi "It goes without saying that we are going to make an economic partnership between China and Africa result in exponential growth, then both sides of that partnership must reflect deep changes that must be made, in the way we have imagined our shared future."

Held every two years, the expo is part of an economic and trade relationship.

For this year's event, there will be the first-ever release of the China-Africa Trade Index, serving as a "barometer" for businesses.

Back in 2019 and 2021, hundreds of bilateral cooperation projects and agreements were signed, worth billions of dollars.

DAI KAIYI Changsha "Officials and business leaders say the event is a significant step toward advancing high-quality economic and trade cooperation between the two sides, building upon the achievements already made. They believe this expo will inject a fresh wave of vitality and strengthen the relationship. Dai Kaiyi, CGTN, Changsha, Hunan Province."