BEIJING, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- China will hold the first China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in Changsha, the capital city of Hunan Province from June 18-20.

The fair, with an estimated display space of 50,000 square meters, will showcase economic and trade opportunities in China and Africa, the organizers said here Thursday.

A signing ceremony for major economic and trade projects will be held during the expo, as well as a series of forums, investment promotions, and business negotiation activities.

The expo, launched under the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, will establish a new mechanism for economic and trade cooperation between China and African countries, said Li Chenggang, assistant minister of commerce.

Hunan's trade volume with African countries totaled 2.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2018, surging over 50 percent for the fourth straight year, Hunan's deputy governor He Baoxiang said. Contracted investment by Hunan firms in Africa amounted to nearly one billion dollars.

The expo will be held in the central Chinese province once every two years.