The request was made this Thursday by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Esmeralda Mendonça, at the opening of the Angola-China Business Forum in the field of Agriculture and Fisheries, held by video conference.
Esmeralda Mendonça stressed that the industrial, agricultural and technological potentialities make China one of the largest strategic partners of the African continent, whose economies need, and a lever for increasingly sustainable development.
According to Esmeralda Mendonça, China has been able to respond satisfactorily to the wishes of the governments of African countries, in exchange for mutually beneficial cooperation, whose effects have been reflected within their populations.
"In our case in particular, this relationship is based on the strategic partnership established through the signing of legal instruments," said the ruler, stressing that the projects presented will contribute significantly to the success of the strategies outlined by the government, in the diversification of its economy and increase the business fabric of the most important sector for the development of Angolan society.
In turn, the Secretary of State for Agriculture and Livestock, João Cunha, highlighted that relations between the two countries date back to 1983, when the Verbal Process of Conversations between the commercial delegations of both countries was initialled.
In recent years, there has been a growth in cooperation between the two countries in the field of agriculture and fisheries, and with the new dynamic that Angola has been applying can consolidate and develop mutually advantageous partnerships through the strengthening of knowledge exchange in different areas such as training, research and private investment.
"Within the current cooperation with China there are successful initiatives in the sector, in the areas of agronomic research, with the Masoso Demonstration Center of Agricultural Technologies, the cultivation of mulberry trees for silk production, currently under study, horticulture, fruit farming and fishing (...) and we are aware that, with investors interested in the sector, we can multiply the current results, taking into account the strategies of the executive," he said.
João Cunha indicated the areas of business opportunity in Angola in the agriculture sector, namely the crop production sector, in which he expressed "considerable interest" in Angola to attract private Chinese investment, research and production of rice, maize, soybeans, poultry, palm oil, as well as aquaculture.
"Our invitation also goes to direct private investment, we are not only referring to private investment in which there are partnerships with Angolans, but we are available and open so that Chinese entrepreneurs can, individually, invest in the agriculture sector, with or without direct partnerships with Angolan entrepreneurs," he stressed.
The governor also stressed the openness of the Angolan side so that the result of Chinese production "can be exported directly to China, or the market they want, or marketed in the national market.
