Author: Mr. Xu Xiangping

Mr. Xu Xiangping has held various positions, including Director of the Office of the Leading Group for the China (Hunan) Pilot Free Trade Zone, Director of the Office of the Leading Group for the Development of an Open Economy in Hunan Province, and Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the Department of Commerce of Hunan Province. He currently serves as a Counselor of the People’s Government of Hunan Province, President of the Hunan Provincial Association for the Promotion of China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation (CAETP), and also holds positions as a Senior Research Fellow at the Tsinghua University Center for Economic Diplomacy Studies and a Visiting Professor at the Party School of the Hunan Provincial Committee. 

Since assuming the role of Director of the Department of Commerce, he has been committed to research and practice in the field of open economy, leading studies and implementation of strategic positioning, priorities, and initiatives for Hunan’s open economy. He has explored and established a series of new models and initiatives for Hunan’s integration into the international framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. Under his leadership, the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, a national-level open platform, was permanently hosted in Hunan, and the China (Hunan) Pilot Free Trade Zone was approved in September 2020. He is currently fully engaged in researching and promoting China-Africa economic and trade cooperation within the strategic framework of the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo and the China-Africa Economic and Trade Deep Cooperation Pilot Zone.