Zambia is one of the 15 countries to be granted the guest of honor status at the second China International Import Expo (CIIE) held in Shanghai from November 5 to 10. As a guest of honor country, Zambia received support from the expo organizers in the form of a national pavilion to showcase trade and investment opportunities.

Through the CIIE, Zambian companies can get access to over 3,600 firms around the world with an expected trading volume of $57.83 billion, according to a statement released by the Zambia Development Agency.

The number of Zambian companies attending this year’s expo has doubled to 12, most of which are SMEs engaged in handicrafts, gemstones, animal products and agro-processing sectors.

The CIIE is a platform that continues to emancipate Africa economically, according to Zambian Ambassador to China Winnie Natala Chibesakunda. “Africa is open to doing business with China. When our leaders came for the FOCAC summit last year, none of them spoke negatively about cooperating with China. They appreciated it and requested for more trading opportunities with China,” Chibesakunda told ChinAfrica.

Chibesakunda applauded China for delivering on its promises not only to Zambia but to the rest of the continent. “The beauty about working with China is that they deliver and act upon what they say, meaning that not only Zambia but all African countries can actually benefit in terms of trade. We know that whatever China commits to do with us, it works out and nothing so far has failed.”

The ambassador advised African countries to take advantage of China’s huge market of over 1.4 billion people to showcase and trade their African products with China, noting, “This platform is really good for all of us (in Africa). It is one way Africa can be emancipated economically.”

Zambian companies attending this year’s expo include Osumbo General Dealers, Little Walk Enterprises, Ginuwine General Dealers, Cowrays Enterprises, Barlogems Limited, Daisy Meats Ltd, Dytech Zambia, Kakanga Food Suppliers, Miombo Honey Processing, Zambia Moringa Wonder Plus LTD, Gramiraj Investments and Ecobee African Natural Products.

The CIIE is among the top 10 business forums in the world, showcasing the greatest innovation in the history of International trade. The CIIE country exhibition covers an area of around 30,000 square meters.

Other countries granted guest of honor status include Cambodia, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, India, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Peru, Russia, Thailand and Uzbekistan.