Economic Watch: Madagascar expects closer economic, trade ties with China through trade expo

By Xinhua

The upcoming third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo will be an 
opportunity to further strengthen economic and trade relations between 
Madagascar and China, Madagascan officials and businessmen have said.ANTANANARIVO,
 June 29 (Xinhua) -- Madagascan officials and businessmen have expressed
 their expectation that the upcoming third China-Africa Economic and 
Trade Expo will be an opportunity to further strengthen economic and 
trade relations between Madagascar and China."Madagascar
 will be present at this very important event because there are many 
economic fields in which we can develop relations with China," Feno 
Andriamanalina, director general of Agriculture at the Madagascan 
Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, told Xinhua after a meeting in 
Antananarivo, the Madagascan capital, to promote the next China-Africa 
Economic and Trade Exhibition."This is an opportunity for Madagascar to expand its already successful relationship with China," he said.According to the director general, Madagascar will send a high-level delegation to attend the event."This
 event will be an opportunity for Madagascar to see what exists in China
 in terms of technologies that can be transferred to Madagascar, 
particularly in the agriculture, livestock and fisheries sectors," he 
said.As
 there will also be participants from all over Africa, "it is also an 
opportunity to have exchanges that allow everyone to benefit from this 
Sino-African economic partnership in general," he said."I
 think that through this exhibition, the cooperation between China and 
Madagascar will be further strengthened within the framework of a 
win-win partnership," said Tahiana Razanamahefa, director of 
communication and public relations of the company Societe Trading de 
l'ocean indien (STOI).STOI,
 which is actively working to promote hybrid rice in Madagascar, will 
have a booth at the expo to exhibit products such as vanilla, peanuts 
and beans.Soja
 Lahimaro, governor of the Malagasy region of Androy, hoped Chinese 
investors can visit his region located in the south of the country, 
saying that it has a lot of potential in the agricultural sector, mining
 and human resources.The
 third edition of the expo, on the theme of "Common Development for a 
Shared Future," will run from June 29 to July 2 in central China's Hunan
 Province. First launched in 2019, it is a major platform for 
strengthening economic and trade cooperation between China and African 
countries.According
 to Huo Wei, charge d'affaires at the Chinese embassy in Madagascar, as 
one of the eight guest countries of honor, Madagascar will send a 
government delegation led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the 
Minister of Agriculture and Livestock to China.Companies from Madagascar are expected to present special products such as rum and vanilla at the expo, he added.  ■