CIFTIS Reflects a New Vision for China-Africa Digital and Green Cooperation

BEIJING, Sept. 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- At the exhibition hall of the 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, Wilson, a software engineer at Beijing Quandian Technology Co., Ltd., is introducing the company's new energy vehicle charging and battery-swapping products and services to visitors at the booth.

This 28-year-old young man from Cameroon studied at Beijing Institute of Technology for seven years. Today, together with a Chinese enterprise, he is committed to promoting new energy vehicles and services in Africa. "Chinese new energy vehicles are very popular in Africa. I hope to use the knowledge I have gained to enable ordinary people in African countries to experience Chinese new energy vehicles and green services," he said.

As information technology accelerates its iteration and the energy transition deepens, China-Africa cooperation is moving towards a higher level of development, with digitalisation and greening becoming new highlights.

Dong Bin, Executive President of the Sino-International Entrepreneurs Federation, believes that the digital infrastructure in some African countries has begun to take shape, and digital services provided by Chinese enterprises are relatively widespread. At the same time, many countries also hope to introduce China's industrialisation experience to drive employment and growth, which provides favourable soil for China and Africa to jointly build an industrial ecosystem in the digital intelligence era.

Africa is rich in renewable energy resources, while China leads in digital technology and new energy fields such as photovoltaics and electric vehicles. The green characteristics of China-Africa cooperation are becoming increasingly distinct. Through the two-way channels of Silk Road e-commerce, high-quality specialty products from Africa are conveniently connecting with global markets, and China's digital experience and supply chain capabilities are helping Africa's industrialisation and digitalisation process.

Under the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), Africa's "Hundred Stores, Thousand Products on Platform" Project was officially launched in 2024. Ma Haobo, Director of Global Potential Markets at Alibaba.com, introduced that to date, 88 enterprises from 21 African countries have joined the Alibaba.com platform, with online transaction volumes exceeding USD 400,000. Coffee from Tanzanian e-commerce merchants, sunflower oil from Ugandan stores, and honey from Ethiopia are among the platform's best-selling products.

For African merchants lacking e-commerce experience, Alibaba.com also developed an AI agent platform this year, which can help merchants complete full-chain operations including website building, product selection, marketing, and customer service. "The biggest obstacle for African SMEs doing cross-border e-commerce is not the product. Language, rules, and operational processes are all barriers, creating a 'digital divide.' The AI agent can provide full-process services according to the needs of African merchants, and a fully functional website can be built in as little as 30 minutes, greatly reducing costs," said Ma Haobo.

Yang Jie, General Manager of Beijing Quandian Technology Co., Ltd., said that since the beginning of this year, the company has deployed 7,000 new energy electric vehicles, 10,000 batteries, and charging piles in Kenya, which have been well received by the public. To ease the cost pressure on the public of purchasing vehicles and batteries in one lump sum, the company has also designed flexible methods such as instalment payments and vehicle and battery leasing. Local operators can choose vehicle and battery plans according to their own conditions and conduct daily operations based on the supporting charging and battery-swapping services.

"We hope not only to provide vehicles and batteries, but also to bring charging, battery-swapping, and follow-up operational services to Africa together," said Yang Jie. In addition to Kenya, the company is also exploring markets in Cameroon, Ghana, and Nigeria, where "the market potential is enormous."

From the construction of digital platforms to the implementation of new energy solutions, China-Africa services trade cooperation is crossing mountains and seas, injecting new momentum into the economic and social development of both sides.

At the African Countries Thematic Event held during CIFTIS, diplomatic envoys and commercial officials from Botswana, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Kenya, and other countries gathered with over a hundred Chinese and African entrepreneurs to discuss new opportunities for China-Africa services trade cooperation.

"Africa does not lack resources or markets; what it lacks is the technology, operations, financing, and engineering services to transform resources into industries. This is precisely where Chinese enterprises have advantages, and it is also the largest growth space for China-Africa services trade in the future," said Yao Sai, founder of the Silk Road Golden Bridge International Cooperation Center.

Mercy Dinha, Deputy Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare of Zimbabwe, stated that Zimbabwe regards digital transformation and environmental sustainability as core driving forces in its national development strategy, and looks forward to cooperating with China in areas such as smart logistics and e-commerce hubs, green data centres and cloud computing, cross-border e-commerce, and digital finance and cross-border payments.

Contact person: Ms. Zhu, Tel: 86-10-63074558