Maputo, July 22, 2026 (Lusa) - Mozambican business leaders on Wednesday called for economic relations with China to evolve towards a model based on joint production, industrialisation and knowledge transfer, enabling greater integration of domestic companies in Chinese investments.
«We believe that the economic relationship between Mozambique and China should gradually evolve from one based solely on the exchange of goods and investment to one also founded on joint production, the creation of value chains and the transfer of knowledge and technology,» said Amâncio Gume, vice-president of the Confederation of Economic Associations of Mozambique (CTA), in Maputo.
Speaking during a reception for a Chinese delegation, as part of a business exchange programme for economic and trade cooperation between China and Portuguese Language Countries, he emphasised that the compatibility between the two economies creates the conditions for broader cooperation, given that Mozambique possesses natural resources, a strategic location and investment opportunities, whilst China has capital, technology, industrial capacity and business expertise.
«We believe there is strong synergy between the two economies. Mozambique has resources, a strategic location and investment opportunities, whilst China has capital, technology, industrial capacity, knowledge and business expertise,» he stated.
According to Gume, it is on this basis of compatibility that long-term business partnerships should be built, bringing mutual benefits and greater integration of Mozambican companies, as the aim of economic cooperation with China should not be limited to increasing trade between the two countries.
«Our interest is not merely to increase the volume of trade, but to ensure that a growing proportion of the value created from existing opportunities in Mozambique is generated within the country itself, with greater participation by Mozambican companies,» noted Gume.
For the business association, the country now faces the major challenge of processing locally an increasing proportion of the resources and raw materials produced within the country.
«Our challenge is to move from an economy that mainly exports raw materials to one that processes, adds value and develops competitive products and services for the national, regional and international markets,» he said.
He emphasised that, in addition to the sectors traditionally associated with natural resources, business leaders have also identified significant opportunities for cooperation with China in the areas of agribusiness, energy, logistics, transport, construction, manufacturing, the digital economy, trade and services.
He also noted that one of the main obstacles preventing domestic companies from capitalising on the opportunities generated by Chinese investment remains the limited capacity of many of them to meet the requirements of international markets and major projects, due to a lack of business certification.
Against this backdrop, he called for support from the Chinese authorities and the Macau Special Administrative Region Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) to strengthen business training and certification programmes in Mozambique.
«We would like to count on the support of the Chinese authorities to expand the business certification and capacity-building programme,» he said, arguing that strengthening these initiatives will enable Mozambican small and medium-sized enterprises to participate more fully in national, regional and global value chains.
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