On the afternoon of June 2, 2026 local time, Zhu Chen, Chairman of Mainland Group, paid a courtesy call on Ibrahim Kalil, Minister of Trade, Industry and Handicrafts of Côte d'Ivoire, in Abidjan, the economic capital. The two sides held a friendly discussion on topics including rubber industrial upgrading, investment in ongoing projects, construction of a full industrial chain system, and in-depth long-term cooperation plans.

Scene of the bilateral meeting

At the beginning of the meeting, Chairman Zhu Chen congratulated Minister Kalil on his new appointment, and expressed gratitude to the governments at all levels of Côte d'Ivoire for their long-term support for the group's local investment. Afterwards, Chairman Zhu Chen gave a detailed introduction to the Group’s overall development, global industrial layout, and the progress of its operational projects in Côte d’Ivoire. He stated that Mainland Group has been deeply engaged in the natural rubber industry of Côte d’Ivoire for many years, continuously improving its layout across raw material procurement, rubber processing, warehousing and logistics support, and continuously strengthening the local industrial chain to facilitate the localized and scaled development of the industry.

In terms of social responsibility, Chairman Zhu Chen stated that, grounded in local development needs, the Group fulfills its corporate responsibilities through measures such as creating local employment opportunities, cultivating local technical talents, and improving infrastructure in surrounding communities. It also collaborates with local industries to achieve mutual progress. In the future, the group will leverage local resource advantages to optimize the operation and construction of existing projects, strengthen the construction of industrial chain support facilities, and contribute to the development of the local rubber industry.

Minister Kalil highly affirmed the tangible industrial achievements of Mainland Group in Côte d’Ivoire, fully recognizing the Group’s practical contributions to stimulating local employment, advancing the upgrading of deep rubber processing and improving rural supporting facilities. He stated that Côte d’Ivoire is vigorously promoting industrialization, and welcomes Mainland Group to expand local processing capacity based on existing cooperation foundations, so as to facilitate high-quality upgrading of the country’s industry and trade sectors.

Group photo of Zhu Chen, Chairman of Mainland Group and Ibrahim Kalil, Minister of Trade, Industry and Handicrafts of Côte d’Ivoire

During the discussion, both sides exchanged comprehensive views on practical topics such as development prospects of the rubber industry, production and export channels, optimization of business environment, and operational challenges faced by foreign-funded enterprises. They reached preliminary consensus on further deepening cooperation across multiple fields.

Going forward, Mainland Group will adhere to the investment philosophy of long-term commitment and mutual benefit, steadily advance the construction of various industrial projects, continuously enhance the level of local operation, and contribute more to promoting the economic and social development of Côte d'Ivoire and the economic and trade cooperation between China and Côte d'Ivoire.