Gaoqiao Block of China (Hunan) Pilot Free Trade Zone Changsha Area, with a total area of 0.6 square kilometers, is the only pilot free trade zone in China with the market as the carrier and the core area of the pilot zone for China-Africa Economic and Trade In-depth Cooperation Pilot Zone. Gaoqiao Block gives full play to the superimposed advantages of the China (Hunan) Pilot Free Trade Zone, the Pilot Market Procurement Trade and the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, explores new paths, new mechanisms and new models of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation, and creates China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation Promotion Innovation Demonstration Zone and the Domestic and International Dual Circulation Leading Zone.
The Demonstration Park has a total planned area of 840,000 m2. Phase I 150,000 m2 of the Demonstration Park has been completed and put into use, in which Export Products Cluster Zone, China-Africa Live Streaming E-Commerce Incubation Center and the Permanent Exhibition Hall of China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo are mainly built. Phase II occupies 90,000 m2 in which the construction of China-Africa Pharmaceutical and Health/Import and Export Base of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China-Africa Barter Trade Center, the Headquarters Center of China-Africa Economic and Trade Enterprises are to be accomplished by September, 2021 and put into operation during China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo. Phase III and IV, being in plan, are expected to be accomplished by 2025.
Demonstration Park focuses on building 3 Centers and 1 Platform namely African Non-Resource Products Trade Center, China-Africa Economic and Trade Enterprises Incubation Center, China-Africa Financial Service Platform and China-Africa Economic and Trade Comprehensive Service Center, and explores new mechanism for China-Africa economic and trade in-depth cooperation in China-Africa cross-border RMB settlement, barter trade, economic and trade incubation, financial support and comprehensive service, etc. African products industrial chain, represented by coffee, nuts and cocoa, has been formed.
Relying on the construction of China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation Promotion Innovation Demonstration Park, it aims at attracting China-Africa economic and trade cooperation enterprises, associations and others to gather in Gaoqiao, exploring and forming new mechanisms and models of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation, and promoting China-Africa trade to a new level. It is expected that after 3-5 years of construction, China-Africa economic and trade volume can reach RMB 40 billion yuan, and China-Africa Economic and Trade In-Depth Cooperation Pilot Zone will be built successfully.