Guangzhou Trade Magnet

　　Felly Mwamba frowns whenever he hearspeople refer to his downtown Guangzhou neighborhoodas “Africa Town” or more insensitively “Chocolate City.”“We come to China just for business， and there isno need to give a special name to our community，”the 38-year-old from the Democratic Republic of theCongo (DRC) told ChinAfrica.

　　Mwamba is one of the growing numbers of Africanentrepreneurs who come to seek their fortunes inGuangzhou， the capital city of south China’s GuangdongProvince. These business people mostly buyChinese commodities， which they then export toretailers across Africa. Since March 2003， when heset up a business in the city， Mwamba has built up adecent life， and in the process has bought a houseand a car back in his home town.

　　Data from the local government verifies that theAfrican population forms only a fraction of foreignersin Guangzhou. According to the Entry-Exit Administrationof the Guangzhou Municipal Public SecurityBureau， only about 10 percent of the foreigners inGuangzhou come from Africa.

　　These African people are from 50 countries onthe continent， according to Liu Wubin， ContingentCommander of the administration. He said that morethan 2 million foreigners entered China throughGuangzhou in 2012. In 2013， the number of Africanswith registered residence in the city， mainly students，employees and their families， exceeded 3，000， accountingfor just 9.1 percent of the total permanentforeign residents there. Nigerians make up thelargest part of the African community living inGuangzhou.

　　Trade haven

　　As a pivotal trading port in China， Guangzhouhas attracted entrepreneurs and traders fromacross the nation and the world， especiallyafter 1957 when the first biannual ChinaImport and Export Fair， also known as CantonFair， was held there.

　　“In this trading center， I can almostget everything I want，” Mwamba said， givingan indication of why so many Africantraders choose this city to do business. According tothe Entry-Exit Administration， Guangzhou has over60 trading markets targeting foreign wholesalers，which are engaged in bulk purchase of comparativelyinexpensive but high-quality commodities rangingfrom motorcycle accessories， mechanical and electronicproducts to clothes， shoes and daily necessities.

　　Surrounding cities like Zhongshan and Xintangare manufacturing powerhouses when it comes tosuch commodities， creating an efficient supply chainto Guangzhou.

　　“The fundamental reason why African traders favorGuangzhou is that commodities sold here can meetthe local demand in Africa， as these commoditiesare rarely produced in African countries，” said GaoYaozong， Deputy Director of Guangzhou’s Bureau ofForeign Trade and Economic Cooperation. Hebelieves it is a normal economic phenomenonthat African traders are thriving in theport city. “Their coming benefits the tradeprosperity of the city， and the Sino-Africantrade in turn，” he said.

　　The latest statistics by the Chinese Academyof International Trade and EconomicCooperation show that China-Africa trade in2012 reached $198.5 billion. Against thebackdrop of this booming trade and enhancedeconomic cooperation， trade betweenGuangzhou and African countrieshas also surged in recent years. Accordingto Gao， from 2003 to 2012， Guangzhou’sbilateral trade with the continent increasedfrom $460 million to $4.87 billion，an annual growth of 29.9 percent on average. Exportsfrom Guangzhou to Africa grew from $330 million to$2.69 billion in the same period.

　　Mwamba is one of the contributors to this fastgrowingfigure， small but indispensable. “In Africa， wehave everything， but no factories. Nearly 80 percentof local goods are made in China，” he said， adding thatsimilar climate conditions are also an attraction.

　　According to Gao， on the one hand， bringinggoods made in China to Africa improves local people’slivelihoods， while on the other hand， trade is theforerunner of a series of economic returns. “Tradingalso provides an opportunity of learning. Throughdoing business with foreigners， Africans get a chanceto acquire improved skills and better managementexperience，” Gao said.

　　Social pressures

　　While fueling the trade prosperity of the city， the arrivalof increasing numbers of African business peoplealso poses a growing pressure on social management.Overstaying visas is one cause of such pressure and maybecome a potential threat to local safety. Some Africans，especially younger ones， come to China embracingthe idea of success or nothing. “They are too poor anddesperate at home and have to sell all their property，which could just be a cow and a crumbling house， anduse the money to fund their business venture in China，”said Zhang Zhiwei， Deputy Chief of the Community Officeof Foreigners Assistance in Dengfeng Street， wheremany African traders live. “However， as it is impossible tosucceed in a short period， many of them opt to overstay[their visas]，” he added.

　　“For some African people who are repatriated aftertheir illegal identity was found， they return again witha new identity，” said Zhang.

　　What also makes it difficult to have exact numbersof Africans in Guangzhou is the fact that many ofthem are leaving the city’s high rent downtown areasto live in cheaper smaller tier cities like Foshan andDongguan. “The management of the floating populationhas always been a headache，” said Liu Wubin，adding that some of these people couldn’t be tracedif they are involved in some illegal activities.

　　Besides， as more immigrants settle in the areathere should be houses， hospitals and schools providedto integrate them into the city.

　　“This also tests the bearing capacity ofGuangzhou， which is one of the biggest cities inChina，” said Liu.

　　Mwamba is making an effort to become part ofthe city by learning Chinese and making more Chinesefriends. Speaking fluent Chinese and having asound interpersonal network， he volunteered to helpnewly-arrived Africans to better adapt to Guangzhouby acting as a bridge to communicate with locals.

　　“For long-term benefit of our business， we have toget familiar with local customs， culture and laws andabide by the regulations， so as to live harmoniouslywith local residents，” he said.

　　Mwamba also admits that some Africans ruinedthe reputation of the whole community by committingcrimes like drug trafficking. “But Africa does notonly consist of one country. There are bad guys andgood ones in every nation. Give me some time andyou will find out what I am，” he said.

　　For those who wish to come to China， Mwambasuggests they come prepared in terms of language，skills， capital and knowledge of local regulations. “AlthoughGuangzhou is a developed city with plenty ofopportunities， it doesn’t suit every one，” he said.

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