On January 16, 2017 local time, China Merchants Executive Vice President Hu Jianhua and Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh were jointly invited to attend the Commencement Ceremony of Djibouti Free Trade Zone.

Hu Jianhua, on behalf of China Merchants Group, delivered a keynote speech. He pointed out that the overall planning of Djibouti Free Trade Zone covered 48 square kilometers and would bring over 2 billion investment to build Djibouti as regional shipping center, commerce center and finance center, meanwhile creating job opportunities in Djibouti.