Audience take photos of a performance at the Changsha International Convention and Exhibition Center during the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, July 1, 2023. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua)

CHANGSHA, July 2-- The third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo concluded on Sunday, with 120 projects worth a total of 10.3 billion U.S. dollars signed, Chinese officials have said.

The four-day event kicked off on Thursday in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province. Hunan is one of the country's provinces most active in economic and trade ties with Africa.

With 1,700 foreign guests and over 10,000 domestic guests, participation in this year's expo was at its highest-ever level, said Zhou Yixiang, deputy secretary-general of the Hunan provincial government.

The number of exhibitors and the number of African exhibits saw historic highs, with respective figures up 70 percent and 166 percent from the previous expo, said Shen Yumou, head of Hunan's department of commerce.

The expo was attended by all 53 African countries that have diplomatic ties with China, 12 international organizations, more than 1,700 Chinese and African enterprises, business associations, chambers of commerce and financial institutions, Shen said.

"It demonstrates the strong vitality and resilience of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation," he said.

China is Africa's largest trading partner and its fourth-biggest source of investment. Official data shows that bilateral trade between China and Africa totaled 282 billion U.S. dollars in 2022. In the first four months of the year, China's new direct investment in Africa totaled 1.38 billion dollars, up 24 percent year-on-year.