On the morning of August 28, 2025, Wei Shijun, Director of the China-Africa Friendship Economic and Trade Development Working Committee, and his entourage visited China National Heavy Duty Truck Group Qingdao Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. They conducted visits, learning sessions, and discussion exchanges focusing on the experience in special-purpose vehicle production and exports to the African market. Bi Shiqiang, Manager of the Marketing and Product Development Department of Qingdao Heavy Industry, Yuan Junwei, Manager of the Export Department, Fan Zunliang, Business Manager of the Export Department, and other company leaders warmly received the visiting group.

Accompanied by staff of the company, Director Wei Shijun and his entourage went deep into the frontline of production and visited the spare parts workshop, blanking workshop, dump truck welding workshop, dump truck final assembly workshop, fully automatic intelligent powder coating workshop, and mixer truck final assembly workshop in sequence. During the visit, Zhao Weike (head of the spare parts workshop), Liu Zhengdong (head of the blanking workshop), Chen Wenzhi (head of the dump truck welding workshop), Zhao Feng (head of the dump truck final assembly workshop), and Wang Weiyi (head of both the fully automatic intelligent powder coating workshop and the mixer truck final assembly workshop) respectively introduced the process flow, production characteristics, and management experience of their respective workshops. The visiting group gained a detailed understanding of Qingdao Heavy Industry’s practical achievements in intelligent manufacturing, green technology, and quality control. Particularly in the fully automatic intelligent powder coating workshop, the advanced automated equipment and environmentally friendly, energy-saving process flow fully demonstrated the company’s transformation results in intelligent manufacturing and green production in recent years.

After the visit, the two sides held a discussion in the No. 1 Conference Room of Qingdao Heavy Industry. Tian Yin’an, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of Qingdao Heavy Industry, attended the meeting and systematically introduced the company’s development history and internationalization strategy. He pointed out that as an important special-purpose vehicle production base of China National Heavy Duty Truck Group, Qingdao Heavy Industry has closely seized the opportunities brought by the “Belt and Road Initiative”, actively expanded overseas markets, and in recent years has continuously made breakthroughs in the export of heavy-duty trucks, cement mixers and other vehicle models to African regions. Relying on its solid quality and sound services, Qingdao Heavy Industry’s products have been widely introduced to many countries and regions in Africa, winning market recognition and customer trust.

At the discussion, Bi Shiqiang, Manager of the Marketing and Product Development Department, Yuan Junwei, Manager of the Export Department, and Fan Zunliang, Business Manager of the Export Department, made supplementary introductions from the perspectives of product R&D, market expansion, and export services respectively. They emphasized that Qingdao Heavy Industry has always adhered to a customer demand-oriented approach. While consolidating its traditional advantageous vehicle models, the company has accelerated the advancement of product layout in new energy, lightweight, and intelligent technologies, and strived to create overall solutions more suitable for the African market.

During the discussion, Director Wei Shijun affirmed the results of Qingdao Heavy Industry’s in-depth development of the African market. He stated that the China-Africa Friendship Economic and Trade Development Working Committee has long been committed to promoting China-Africa economic and trade cooperation, and the experience accumulated by Qingdao Heavy Industry in its exports to Africa is worth promoting. Practices such as how to optimize product configurations according to the needs of the African market, how to improve customer satisfaction through sound after-sales services, and how to establish long-term cooperative partnerships are of great reference significance for Chinese enterprises to “go global”.

He emphasized that China-Africa cooperation is currently in a new stage of development. As Africa accelerates progress in infrastructure construction, transportation, and urbanization, the demand for equipment manufacturing products continues to grow. Qingdao Heavy Industry’s successful practices have provided a concrete model for cooperation between Chinese and African enterprises, and also pointed out the direction for promoting more Chinese manufacturing enterprises to enter the African market. The Committee is willing to further strengthen communication and ties with Qingdao Heavy Industry, jointly explore cooperation paths in technical exchanges, project matching, and other aspects, and promote the formation of a new situation of mutual benefit and win-win results.

This visit not only enabled the China-Africa Friendship Economic and Trade Development Working Committee to gain a direct understanding of Qingdao Heavy Industry’s production capacity and international achievements, but also laid a foundation for the two sides to deepen cooperation. As an important backbone enterprise in China’s special-purpose vehicle industry, Qingdao Heavy Industry is enhancing its brand influence through continuous innovation and international layout; the China-Africa Friendship Economic and Trade Development Working Committee will continue to play its role as a bridge and link, promoting more Chinese enterprises to learn from advanced experience and expand into the African market.

With the continuous deepening of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation, the cooperation space between the two sides in fields such as automobile manufacturing and infrastructure construction will become broader. This visit and exchange is precisely an important practice to promote the in-depth and solid advancement of China-Africa practical cooperation, creating new possibilities for future cooperation.