From November 11 to 16, 2023, Mr. Garth van der Horst, Chief Trade and Investment Officer of Cape Town and Western Cape Tourism, Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Wesgro), and Mr. Jaco Delport, FDI Portfolio Manager of Green Economy, Wesgro, visited Xiamen to have discussions with the Office of Xiamen Leadership Group for BRICS PartNIR Innovation Center, Xiamen Victwo BizTech Co., Ltd. (Xiamen BRICS+ Technology Accelerator) and other entities, in an effort to explore collaborative opportunities for investment and promote investment prospects in Western Cape Province. The delegation also visited a number of Xiamen-based manufacturing enterprises focused on new energy and environmental protection technologies.
On the afternoon of November 13, Office of Xiamen Leadership Group for BRICS PartNIR Innovation Center organized an investment promotion conference for Western Cape Province, which was hosted by Mr. Edward Yang, Chairman of Xiamen Victwo BizTech Co., Ltd., and attended by representatives from 15 companies in Xiamen City, Jiangsu Province and Guangdong Province. Mr. Hong Liang, Deputy Director of the Office of Xiamen Leadership Group for BRICS PartNIR Innovation Center, briefed the audience on Xiamen's socioeconomic development and the construction progress of BRICS PartNIR Innovation Center. He welcomed active participation from Western Cape Province officials and businesses in spheres such as think tank building, talent cultivation, and project development in BRICS PartNIR Innovation Center, and also encouraged businesses interested in entering the South African market to focus on the unique investment advantages and opportunities offered by Western Cape Province.
Mr. Horst provided a detailed presentation on the economic development and goals of Western Cape Province, emphasizing the immense potential of the African market. He highlighted Western Cape Province's strategic position and unique advantages as the "gateway" for Chinese companies to push into the African market, and the key investment and trade opportunities in the province, particularly in sectors such as green economy, blue economy, digitalization, and technological innovation. Western Cape Province is recognized as South Africa's "Innovation Hub" and "Green Center," with thriving sectors such as financial technology, agricultural technology, green technology, and aerospace technology. Currently, approximately 80% of new energy companies in South Africa have their headquarters in this province. The investment opportunities in green economy encompass manufacturing, new energy, and hydrogen, and Mr. Horst expressed his anticipation for increased investment from Chinese enterprises in the province.
During the roundtable discussion, company representatives exchanged views with Mr. Horst on topics such as the tax policy advantages of Western Cape Province, channels for importing agricultural products, and the African market for intelligent sports equipment.
Throughout their visit, the Office of Xiamen Leadership Group for BRICS PartNIR Innovation Center arranged for Mr. Horst and Mr. Delport to tour Xiamen Torch Development Zone and visit companies such as Hithium, Longking, Hiteknova, King Long, and Xiamen ITG for in-depth exchanges.
On the morning of November 13, Mr. Horst and Mr. Delport visited Xiamen Hithium Energy Storage Technology Co., Ltd., where they toured the battery production lines, gained insights into the production processes and Hithium's self-developed patents, engaged in in-depth discussions on the support policies and tax incentives offered by the South African government and the Cape Town Special Economic Zone for foreign investment, and explored the possibility of Hithium establishing a battery production plant in South Africa.
On the morning of November 14, Mr. Horst and Mr. Delport visited Fujian Longking Co., Ltd. and engaged in discussions regarding South Africa's green and low-carbon development, the fundamentals of South Africa's power generation industry, the desulfurization operations and challenges in South African power plants, and the advantages of Longking's dry desulfurization compared to wet desulfurization, its extensive application areas, and its second-to-none performance in various applications. Both sides acknowledged that Longking's leading capabilities in industrial flue gas purification in China and worldwide would help shore up South Africa's development of new energy.
On the afternoon of November 14, Mr. Horst and Mr. Delport visited Hiteknova, delving into the company's developments in prefabricated buildings and praising the company's philosophy of combining construction technology, design software, smart equipment, and management systems to serve the industry. Despite the vibrancy of the construction industry in South Africa, prefabricated buildings have not yet gained widespread use. Mr. Horst expressed his hope for the introduction of advanced Chinese technologies for the intelligent manufacturing of prefabricated buildings to contribute to the development of South Africa's nascent prefabricated building industry.
On the morning of November 15, Mr. Horst and Mr. Delport visited King Long, touring the company and gaining insights into its industrial innovations and recent technological advancements in commercial trucks and intelligent connected vehicles. Mr. Horst and Mr. Delport also experienced the company's latest generation L4-level autonomous vehicle, "Apollo." Both sides engaged in in-depth discussions on investment opportunities in Western Cape Province and Cape Town.
On the afternoon of November 15, Mr. Horst and Mr. Delport visited Xiamen ITG, exploring the company's cultural corridor and gaining an in-depth understanding of its development history and current business status as a Fortune Global 500 company and a leading Chinese supply chain conglomerate. They expressed appreciation for Xiamen ITG's business scope and global presence. The discussions extended to the current state of the South African new energy market, the implementation status and future prospects of South Africa's carbon neutrality policy, and Xiamen ITG's business layout in South Africa, using it as a hub to penetrate deeper into the African market.
During their stay in Xiamen, Mr. Horst and Mr. Delport also partook in the BRICS Forum on Partnership on New Industrial Revolution 2023 in the company of the Office of Xiamen Leadership Group for BRICS PartNIR Innovation Center, XMTORCH Management Committee, and Xiamen Victwo BizTech Co., Ltd. Preliminary discussions were held on the establishment of a Chinese technology accelerator in Cape Town by Xiamen Victwo BizTech Co., Ltd., with Mr. Horst expressing full support for the plan. This initiative aims to promote concrete technological innovation and industrial cooperation between China and South Africa, with a goal to extend into the broader African continent.
