China’s Hunan province has announced its plan to organize a matchmaking conference for African and Chinese seafood companies and fishery officials in the second half of 2022.
Hunan’s Department of Commerce has selected a local firm to handle the event, the 2022 China (Hunan) – African Countries Fisheries and Aquatic Products Promotion Matchmaking Conference. Hunan authorities haven’t yet set a date for the event, but a similar event – the China-Africa Trade Expo and Economic Cooperation Summit – took place in the provincial capital of Changsha, during which several African nations pledged membership in the newly formed Hunan Macao Portuguese-Speaking African Nations Fisheries Service Alliance, an entity orchestrated and run by Hunan authorities.
Provinces across China have moved aggressively to expand their African trade, viewing the continent as a rich source of raw materials and a destination for Chinese manufactured goods. In April 2022, the provincial government of Shandong province – a key region for aquaculture and seafood processing – organized a week of online commerce promotion under the slogan of "African Good Products." African ambassadors and businesses were invited to online matchmaking events, and major online retailers Taobao, JD.com, Kuaishou, Douyin, and Meituan participated.
Africa is a minor supplier of China’s seafood imports, though the data is obscured by the high volumes of catch landed by Chinese distant-water fishing firms in African waters and either sold locally, processed into fishmeal, or returned to China, where it’s counted as part of China’s own wild-catch.
Photo courtesy of Hunan Province Department of Commerce
