"Chinese consumers may not know this, but out of 10 sesame seeds consumed in China, eight are imported, six of which are from Africa," said Chen Ying, from the China Chamber of Commerce for Food Import and Export. The official was speaking on the sidelines of the 7th China International Import Expo (CIIE, Shanghai, Nov. 5-10). Since 2005, China has granted preferential treatment to imports of African agricultural products. These measures have helped reduce the cost of these products and increase their competitiveness in the Chinese market. Sun Hong, deputy director of the Institute of African Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said African agricultural exports to China are growing rapidly. In addition to traditional products such as oilseeds, new products such as coffee and avocado have become part of Chinese consumers' daily lives. Sun Hong believes that the growth of these imports meets the needs of African countries and optimizes the structure of trade between the two sides. According to her, Africa is active in the platforms of the CIIE and the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo and plays an increasingly important role in these mechanisms. She suggests that African companies take full advantage of these platforms, as well as e-commerce channels, to further promote their products in China. In addition, cooperation with relevant Chinese enterprises is encouraged to explore the Chinese market. Facing competition from countries outside the region, it is important to provide Chinese consumers with products with African characteristics and build a good image of African products, Sun Hong further explained. According to statistics from Chinese customs, the value of African agricultural products imported into China reached 28.47 billion yuan (about 4 billion U.S. dollars) in the first eight months of this year, a year-on-year growth of 4.8 percent. At the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing, China decided to grant zero tariff treatment to 100 percent of products exported to China by least developed countries that have diplomatic relations with China, including 33 African countries. The move reflects China's willingness to share development dividends with its African partners.