Representatives from 50 African countries and eight international organizations have registered to attend the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, to be held from June 29 to July 2 in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province.

Themed "Common Development for a Shared Future," the event will feature more than 40 activities of various kinds, covering green infrastructure, customs and quarantine, medicine and health, agricultural and food products, industrial parks, vocational education and other topics, Shen Yumou, head of the Hunan provincial department of commerce, said at a press conference on Tuesday.

The guest countries of honor at the expo will be Benin, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria and Zambia.

A China-Africa trade index will be released for the first time during the event, which will serve as a barometer for businesses conducting economic and trade cooperation with their African partners.

First launched in 2019, the expo is a major platform for strengthening economic and trade cooperation between China and African countries.

More than 1,000 Chinese and African enterprises, business associations and financial institutions attended the expos held in 2019 and 2021, with a total of 216 cooperation projects and agreements signed.