On August 23 (Beijing Time), Christian Ndongala Nkuku, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and the European Union, together with Cai Xisheng, FirstLevel Researcher and Deputy Director of the Port Administration Division of Hunan Provincial Department of Commerce, led a delegation to inspect the Hunan headquarters of Mainland Group. Zhu Chen, Chairman of Mainland Group, and Zhou Weihua, Deputy General Manager of the Group, received the delegation. Both sides held in-depth cooperation negotiations centering on the industrial development of agricultural products including natural rubber, cocoa, and corn in the DRC.

During the symposium, Ambassador Christian Ndongala Nkuku stated that the DRC is endowed with abundant land resources and favorable agro-climatic conditions, laying a sound foundation for industries such as rubber, cocoa, and corn. Notably, from 1963 to 1975, the DRC ranked as Africa’s largest rubber-producing country. In recent years, the Government of the DRC has further adjusted its development philosophy. While sustaining economic growth, it has attached greater importance to agricultural industrial development. The government hopes to further explore cooperation opportunities with Mainland Group, prioritizing the cocoa industry research and investigation, and simultaneously conducting studies and planning for natural rubber, corn cultivation, and other related industries to revitalize the local rubber industry. He noted that the DRC is vigorously promoting agricultural development with a continuously optimized investment environment. The country hopes to draw on Chinese enterprises’ experience in industrial operation, technology, equipment, and market operation to further tap the development potential of local agricultural industries.

Chairman Zhu Chen stated that Mainland Group has always paid close attention to Africa’s agricultural industries and holds high expectations for the DRC market. Based on local resource advantages, industrial foundations, and market demand, the Group will actively explore cooperation opportunities in agricultural planting, processing, and trade. Drawing on its development experience in other African countries, Mainland Group will establish a cooperative mechanism for coordinated development between the enterprise and local farmers. It will encourage local residents to participate in agricultural production and industrial development, boost employment and income growth, deliver the benefits of industrial development to local communities, and foster positive interaction between corporate development and local social progress.

This exchange has deepened mutual understanding of each party’s development philosophies and industrial strengths, paving the way for in-depth agricultural industrial cooperation between the two parties in the DRC in the future. Going forward, Mainland Group will remain committed to China Africa economic and trade cooperation. Taking real economy industries as the bond and people livelihood needs as the orientation, the Group will explore more sustainable and long term valuable cooperation models, contributing the strength of Chinese enterprises to local agricultural development and industrial upgrading.