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KIGALI, June 19-- Rwanda hopes to use the first China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo scheduled for June 27-29 in central China's Hunan Province to advance the marketing of local products, an official said on Wednesday. The expo will be an opportunity for marketing Rwandan products as Rwanda seeks to reduce the trade balance with China, Sanny Ntayombya, communications and marketing officer at Rwanda Development Board (RDB), told Xinhua in a written interview. Rwandan businesses set to take part in this month's trade expo will be showcasing made-in-Rwanda products including chili oil, French beans, processed juice, tea and coffee, and handcrafts, said Ntayombya. Rwanda's participation in the exhibition underscores its willingness to strengthen its trade and investment ties with China, which could help speed up the ongoing application process for Rwandan fresh products to be eligible for export to China including beef, chili, avocados, etc., he said. With a potential market of over 1 billion people, Rwanda believes that it is essential to trade with China, said Ntayombya, noting that there is huge potential in the Chinese market. The government of Rwanda and China's e-commerce giant Alibaba last October launched Alibaba's Electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP), which makes Rwanda the first African country that launches such a platform. In the long term, Rwanda hopes to expand the partnership with Alibaba to export Rwandan products to China including beef, chilies and avocados in addition to coffee, said the official. | 
