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Constantino Chiwenga, vice-president of Zimbabwe, shakes hands with a representative from Huayou Cobalt during his recent visit to the company in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province. [Photo/WeChat account: jxfabu]

Zimbabwean Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga visited Huayou Cobalt in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province, on Sept 16, focusing on the company's lithium resource production processes and applications.

Huayou Cobalt's cooperation with Zimbabwe began in 2022 with its acquisition of the local Arcadia lithium mine. The ATZ project, built with the company's investment, became Africa's first lithium sulfate plant. In April this year, the first batch of high-quality lithium salt products from the project was shipped to China, making Huayou Cobalt the first Chinese company to achieve localized lithium sulfate production in Zimbabwe.

The company has established an integrated industrial chain in the southern African nation, covering mining all the way to finished lithium salt products, while supporting local employment and the development of related industries.

The cooperation between China and Africa is also helping to build a green new-energy industrial chain, with Huayou Cobalt's integrated operations linking Jiaxing manufacturing more closely with the global new-energy supply chain.