On April 28, African anchors were broadcasting live. Courtesy of respondents
Xinhua News Agency, Hangzhou, May 3 (Reporters Wei Donghua and Zheng Mengyu) "Doctor's tea is South Africa's 'national treasure tea', which can calm the spirit and help sleep, and the taste is not sour. "Ugandan mangoes are sweet and big, and they are the giants of mangoes." "This Kenyan wood carving depicts a mother holding a child, which is similar to the 'family culture' in traditional Chinese culture." Young Africans in China from Zimbabwe and Liberia acted as anchors in front of the camera, gushing about high-quality African goods.
This scene comes from the special event of the "African Good Things Online Shopping Festival" in Zhejiang, which is being held. The event will last from April 28 to May 12, during which the anchors of China and Africa will work together to promote more than 50 kinds of "African good things" in more than 10 African countries online through live broadcast platforms such as Taobao and Douyin.
Through the e-commerce platform, Chinese consumers can buy coffee from Ethiopia, black tea and soapstone from Kenya, red wine from South Africa and many other hot-selling specialty products in Africa, and live e-commerce is building a new scene of China-Africa economic and trade.
Millais, a 23-year-old Zimbabwean youth, is a graduate student at Zhejiang University's School of Public Administration. In the eyes of this African youth who came to China's eastern coastal cities from rural Zimbabwe in 2017, behind the live broadcast of goods is the cultural story of Africa.
"Telling the story behind a coffee bean through the live broadcast room can allow more Chinese to understand the customs and customs of Africa." In Africa, Millais said, they used Products Made in China when they were young, while African products are not well known in China. Through the promotion of the live broadcast room, African products can be brought closer to Chinese consumers.
On April 28, African anchors were broadcasting live. Courtesy of respondents
Live e-commerce is the dominant industry in Zhejiang Province. In the view of Zhang Qianjiang, deputy director of the Department of Commerce of Zhejiang Province, the interaction between the live broadcast room, the offline exhibition hall and the African origin can bring consumers a better shopping experience.
"During the event, we also opened the live broadcast room to Africa, and set up five live broadcast rooms in South Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania and other places." Zhao Haoxing, founder of Hangzhou China-Africa Bridge, said.
At the scene, the anchor from South Africa introduced a local hot red wine through lianmai. Through their lenses, domestic consumers can also visit local factories and orchards in Africa.
"The future of digital trade exchanges is a new form of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation." Millais has participated in China's live e-commerce activities for many times, and he said that digital empowerment can help more high-quality and distinctive African goods open up the Chinese market.
On April 28, African anchors were broadcasting live. Courtesy of respondents
According to the Statistics of the Department of Commerce of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang's trade with Africa reached 235.7 billion yuan in 2020, accounting for 18.2% of the country's total trade with Africa. As of the end of February this year, Zhejiang's investment in Africa was recorded for US$4.551 billion.
"Zhejiang is an important province for China's cooperation with Africa, and has made many attempts to promote cross-border e-commerce and live e-commerce into Africa." Zhang Qianjiang said that last year's African product e-commerce promotion season lasted for three months, and a total of 106 special live broadcasts were carried out, with a turnover of more than 50 million yuan.
More and more Chinese companies are seizing the opportunity period of cooperation with Africa. Huzhou opened the "Weaving Children's Clothing Africa Overseas Plan"; Zhoushan City opened a coffee borderless pop-up shop online through the local e-commerce platform, and promoted "African good things" by shooting flash short videos.
"African youth have a high passion for cross-border e-commerce and live e-commerce." Millais said that he hopes that more and more Chinese and African youth will participate in promoting China-Africa economic and trade cultural exchanges, serving trade exchanges between the two sides, and making China-Africa trade develop more healthily and steadily.