From January to July this year, Fujian's trade with African countries exceeded 50 billion yuan ($7.19 billion), and their relationship is continuing to strengthen thanks largely to Belt and Road cooperation.

Data from Xiamen Customs on Sept 3 revealed that trade between Fujian and African countries reached 51.09 billion yuan during this period, with exports totaling 30.13 billion yuan, a 3.2 percent increase year-on-year.

Fujian has seen significant growth in the export of consumer goods to Africa and the import of natural resources from the continent. In terms of exports, in the first seven months of this year, Fujian exported 3.75 billion yuan worth of clothing, 2.75 billion yuan worth of agricultural products, and 2.12 billion yuan worth of food to African countries, representing year-on-year growth rates of 2.3 percent, 21.1 percent, and 21.3 percent, respectively.

Additionally, exports of "new three" products (electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries and solar cells) reached 170 million yuan, a 30 percent increase year-on-year, while Fujian's exports of ships to African countries amounted to 3.46 billion yuan, marking a 1,125 percent increase year-on-year.

On the import side, Fujian brought in 2.76 billion yuan worth of copper materials, 1.44 billion yuan worth of copper ore, and 130 million yuan worth of wood and wood products from Africa, with growth rates of 44.3 percent, 57.1 percent, and 57.1 percent, respectively.

Fujian conducted trade with 47 African countries during this period, with South Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Liberia making up the top three in trade volume. Trade with Egypt and Ethiopia, which officially became BRICS members in January, amounted to 2.46 billion yuan and 550 million yuan, respectively.