On June 21, 2024, local time in Côte d’Ivoire, the commissioning ceremony of Mainland-Guansheng Joint Venture No.3 Rubber Plant was held in San-Pédro, Côte d’Ivoire. Xie Weijiang, Member of the Standing Committee of the Hunan Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Yueyang Municipal Party Committee, led a Yueyang delegation to attend the ceremony.

Philippe D. Legre, Prefect of Bas-Sassandra Region of Côte d’Ivoire, Dosso Adama, Ambassador of Côte d’Ivoire to China, Wu Jie, Chinese Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire, Yan Jinsong, Chairman of Yueyang Guansheng Investment & Development Co., Ltd., Deng Xiaoxia, Deputy General Manager of Yueyang Guansheng Investment & Development Co., Ltd., Zhu Chen, Chairman of Mainland Group and other distinguished guests were present at the ceremony.

During his speech at the ceremony, Xie Weijiang stated that the smooth commissioning of Mainland-Guansheng Joint Venture No. 3 Rubber Plant is an important action to implement the important consensus reached by the heads of state of China and Côte d’Ivoire and advance the Belt and Road Initiative. It also serves as a practical measure to strengthen the friendship and continuously deepen cooperation between Hunan, Yueyang and Côte d’Ivoire.

Yueyang will further boost cooperation with Côte d’Ivoire in processing of non-resource products, modern agriculture, equipment manufacturing, cultural tourism and other sectors, bring cooperation to a higher level, and make new contributions to deepening China-Africa cooperation and consolidating China-Africa friendship in the new era.

Philippe D. Legre, Prefect of Bas-Sassandra Region, delivered a speech at the ceremony. He mentioned that the establishment of the plant in Bas-Sassandra Region will bring tremendous benefits to the local economy. He hoped that more Chinese-funded enterprises would invest in the region, and the local government will offer full support.

Wu Jie, Chinese Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire, extended his congratulations on the official commissioning of the plant. He remarked that the commissioning of Mainland-Guansheng Joint Venture No. 3 Rubber Plant adds luster to Chinese investment in Côte d’Ivoire. It serves as an exemplary model of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation and a significant achievement of high-quality Belt and Road development.

Dosso Adama, Ambassador of Côte d’Ivoire to China, emphasized in his address that the plant will effectively increase the production capacity and added value of Côte d’Ivoire’s natural rubber industry, fuel the prosperity of the local economy and benefit the people. He hoped to further expand the areas of economic and trade cooperation with Chinese enterprises in the future.

Yan Jinsong, Chairman of Yueyang Guansheng Investment & Development Co., Ltd., said that riding the momentum of the Belt and Road Initiative, Guansheng will accelerate investment in and construction of agricultural and sideline product processing facilities in Côte d’Ivoire, build overseas warehouses in Côte d’Ivoire and Tanzania, establish a service-oriented comprehensive China-Africa economic and trade platform, and promote substantial growth in trade with Africa.

Zhu Chen, Chairman of Mainland Group, expressed gratitude for strong support from all sectors that enabled the smooth commissioning of the project. He stated that under the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the Belt and Road Initiative, Mainland Group will keep exploring new models and paths for China-Africa agricultural cooperation and contribute to the development of China-Africa economic and trade relations. Building on the Group’s existing rubber processing operations in Côte d’Ivoire, the Group will step up the development of agricultural products including cassava, cocoa and cashews, support the development of local processing industries for non-resource products in Africa, and import more high-quality African agricultural products into China.

Leaders from all participating parties jointly pressed the start button, witnessing the milestone moment of the official commissioning of Mainland-Guansheng Joint Venture No. 3 Rubber Plant.