The percentage of local employees in Africa’s China-invested enterprises is gradually growing and this trend will continue, said Jiang Zengwei, chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

Jiang made the remark on Aug 31 at a media briefing on the High-Level Dialogue between Chinese-African Leaders and Business Communities and the 6th Conference of Chinese and African Entrepreneurs, which will be held on Sept 3 and 4.

“This shows that labor in African countries has become more skilled, with a growing mastery of techniques,” he said, adding that the cost of sending Chinese workers to Africa is also not low.

He said businesses want to employ as many local people as possible. It is what businesses must do to conduct international cooperation and participate in economic construction. “Or, it is not conducive for the long term,” he said.

Hiring local workers and ensuring environmental protection are important aspects of corporate social responsibility for Chinese companies in Africa, and they take these into consideration in such areas as infrastructure and industrial capacity projects, Jiang said.

Environmental protection, he said, has become a priority whether projects are in China or overseas.

“China is ready to work with countries where projects are based to prevent environmental problems through effective measures,” he said.

As an event supporting the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, the Conference of Chinese and African Entrepreneurs will focus on three topics: Advancing industrial cooperation for win-win results, deepening trade cooperation for common development and strengthening infrastructure cooperation for sustainable development.

A total of 2,088 representatives will participate in the event.