Monday, August 16, 2010

VP winds up China tour

WEIFANG, China, Aug 16 - Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka has wound up his tour of China by visiting various industrial concerns involved in agricultural equipment manufacturing, as well as agro-processing, in Shandong Province South East of China.

Speaking after an extensive tour of the Foton Lovol Heavy Industry Limited that manufactures tractors and construction equipment, the Vice President expressed joy that the directors had agreed to visit Kenya and consider the possibility of setting up a farm machinery manufacturing plant.

Foton Lovol produces 350,000 tractors and 150,000 heavy construction equipment like loaders and drilling rigs a year as well as 1.5 million tricycles mainly for Asian, European, American and Africa markets.

According to Alex Li the director for African markets, his firm was keen to establish a big presence in East Africa through Kenya.

The Vice President also toured the Denghai Seed Company, in Lai Zhou County, which develops high yield maize seed, used to produce most of the maize grown in China, a country which surprisingly has huge grain reserves despite having to feed 1.3 billion mouths.

Mr Musyoka and his delegation which includes agriculture Assistant Minister Kareke Mbiuki also visited the Yantai Dongqi Agricultural Equipment Company another tractor manufacturing firm as well as Shandong Xinlengda Foodstuffs Group Company limited to familiarize himself with cutting edge technology in agro processing.

At the Shandong Asahi Green Source Milk Products the Vice President was given a guided tour of Dairy milk processing while at the Yantai urban planning exhibition Hall he was briefed on urban planning of Chinese cities which are undergoing rapid expansion and modernisation.

In a meeting with Zang Xinqi the Secretary of the Weifang Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Weifang City of Shandong Province who also doubles up as the mayor of Weifang city; the Vice President lauded the efforts of Provincial Governments in China to invest abroad.

“I am delighted that apart from the support we get from the central government in Beijing, business people and provincial governments from various regions in China are willing to invest in Africa.”

Mr Xinqi announced that a team of business people and government representatives will visit Kenya next month to explore business opportunities.

The Vice President has been in China for the last one week to attend the China-Africa Agricultural Forum, at the invitation of the International Department of the communist Party of China. He thereafter participated in a series of meetings with regional leaders as well as a guided tour of major cities of Shangdong Province.

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