“Chinese commodities are of high quality, and we like them very much. My boss asked us to buy the entire exhibition booth of Great Star Industrial and put it in the exhibition hall of our company, so as to recommend the Chinese brand to South African customers.” Jesson from ACDC of South Africa told our journalist.

Great Star Industrial from Hangzhou of China’s Zhejiang Province is a company producing manual and mechanic tools. “This is the fourth time for us to participate in China (South Africa) Trade Fair. Every time we come here, there is new achievement. But this is the first time when a customer bought the entire exhibition booth of 54 square meters on the first opening day,” said Yu Hongtao, the Company’s manager for market development.

In the “China Year” in South Africa, China (South Africa) Trade Fair was opened in Johannesburg of South Africa on June 21st. The exhibition of this year attracts more people than the previous ones, and the Chinese products are popular among the local companies.

There was a power shortage in South Africa last year, and the small power generators produced by Pusheng Power Co. Ltd from Nantong of China’s Jiangsu Province are very popular. Yin Yong, the Company’s representative in the exhibition booth, said that many local companies have come to him to discuss business during the time of the exhibition.

“The exhibition is so great!” said Mashatiso Villa, a businesswoman of South Africa, to our journalist. She took out a brochure of the producers of small tractors in China, showing one model to our journalist “It is incredible that we can buy a fashionable and applicable tractor with just 30,000 rands (about 15,000 yuan)”.

Villar said that she ran a garment factory in South Africa, and had visited China with a South African government delegation. “I have been to Anhui, where one can find many factories”. She said that Chinese garments are of low price and suit the market needs of South Africa. “Made in China meets the needs of every one of us.”

Rodyee Damoy, executive of a South African construction company called Shengsan Arthur (transliteration), told our journalist that he hoped find a Chinese cooperation partner producing construction machinery such as excavators. “Construction materials produced by China are as good as those of developed countries in terms of both workmanship and technology”, he said.

Fani Lidewa carried a pile of documents which he gathered from the internet about book printing in six months. “There is a shortage of books in many regions in South Africa, and I want to do something meaningful for our kids”. Lidewa said that the printing machines produced in China function well and are of advanced technology. I hope to find printing machines suitable for our business.

Three visitors are gathered in front of the exhibition booth of Shanghai Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, waiting eagerly to ask questions to the staff of the exhibition booth. Langa Mulonggo, executive of Blue Magic of South Africa said that he was in the trade of electrics in China’s Guangzhou for many years, knowing that washing machines and microwaves produced by China are of good quality. “For the same microwave, it is twice the price in South Africa than that in China”.

Among the 200 plus exhibition booths of China, apart from small commodities, there are also big ones such as Higer Bus. Xia Guolin from Higer Bus Company Ltd said, “We have already sold 10,000 Higer buses to Africa. The Higer Midibus has won the certification of SABS, and the intent for procurement for over ten buses has been signed in one day.” “Although my business started just a year ago, the customers in South Africa and neighbouring countries all said that Chinese buses are cool and beautiful in terms of both internal design and the exterior, and are very useful”, said Shelton Gomas, dealer for Higer Bus in South Africa.

China wants to help Africa to realize connectivity in railway, roads and regional aviation as well as industrialization, which offers a vast stage for the railway construction of China. The exhibition booth of CRC takes the shape of locomotive of the Chinese high-speed railway, with guideboards pointing the way from Cape Town to the neighbouring countries till Cairo.

Stanfensen Gubane, CEO of the National Railway Corporation of Swaziland, said that “made in China’ is everywhere from the making of needles to railways. “The CRC plays its role in helping to elevate the transport capability of the entire railway network of South Africa. From the design of railway to the construction, every commitment has been fulfilled. The project is of good quality and completed efficiently, which is the impression the CRC has left me. ”

Yuan Li, deputy chief economist of the CRC told our journalist, “The CRC has undertaken a series of large railway construction projects in African countries such as Nigeria, Angola, Ethiopia and Djibouti in recent years. We want to tell more African friends through the exhibition that the Chinese company has the capability to make bigger contribution to Africa’s connectivity.”

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