Linyi's strengths in manufacturing and engineering equipment offer promising opportunities for deeper China-Africa cooperation, said Baudelaire Ndong Ella, ambassador of Gabon to China, during a visit to Linyi, Shandong province, on July 10.

The visit was part of the Linyi China-Africa Economic and Trade Dialogue with Diplomatic Envoys to China event, which brought together diplomats from Gabon, Malawi, Senegal and Cameroon to engage with local businesses and explore cooperation in trade, infrastructure, and construction machinery.

The ambassador said he was impressed by the city's remarkable transformation since his last visit in 2019. "Linyi has made great progress in industrial development," he said, highlighting its advanced manufacturing, thriving commodity trade and modern hospitality sector.

Among the industries he visited, construction machinery stood out as an area with strong potential for cooperation, particularly for Gabon, where infrastructure development and mining remain key priorities.

Africa has significant demand for cooperation in infrastructure, manufacturing and other key sectors, while Linyi has built up extensive expertise in these fields, creating strong prospects for future collaboration, the ambassador said. 

He also noted that this year has been designated as China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges and expressed hope for closer tourism and people-to-people exchanges alongside economic and trade cooperation.

As one of China's major commercial and logistics hubs, Linyi has made Africa a key market in its efforts to expand foreign trade. In the first quarter, the city's trade with Africa reached 6.74 billion yuan (about $940 million), up 16.6 percent year-on-year.

A delegation of African envoys visits Shandong Lingong Construction Machinery (SDLG), a leading Chinese construction machinery manufacturer in Linyi, Shandong province, on July 10. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]