On the vast grasslands of Niassa Province in northern Mozambique, the commissioning of a modern graphite processing plant is illuminating the transformation path of this resource rich country with the light of industrial upgrading. On January 31st, Mozambican President Chappo's statement at the inauguration ceremony accurately stated the core significance of the project: "This is not only a pragmatic crystallization of Mozambique China economic and trade cooperation, but also a crucial step for the country to move from resource dependence to value creation." The factory, built by Jinan Yuxiao Group with an investment of 150 million US dollars, with a graphite production capacity of 200000 tons per year as the fulcrum, leverages the reconstruction of Mozambique's industrial chain, the acceleration of regional development, and the upgrading of the China Africa cooperation model.

The 'qualitative leap' in resource monetization:

For a long time, Mozambique's abundant mineral resources have not been transformed into sustainable development momentum. The single raw material export model has plunged the country into a "resource dividend trap" - low product added value, weak risk resistance, and a large number of employment opportunities and economic benefits are lost upstream in the industrial chain. The graphite project of Jinan Yuxiao Group has precisely hit this development pain point. Unlike the simple logic of "mining export" in traditional foreign investment projects, this project has built a full chain layout of "exploration mining deep processing sales", processing graphite raw ore that was originally exported at a low price into high-purity graphite products for new energy batteries and high-end manufacturing, increasing added value by dozens of times.

Behind this transformation is the profound insight and long-term investment of Chinese enterprises in meeting the development needs of Africa. Since entering Mozambique in 2006, Jinan Yuxiao Group has invested over 2 billion US dollars, gradually forming an industrial cluster covering more than 500000 hectares of mining rights, from zirconium titanium ore to graphite ore, from single mining to diversified processing. The completion of this graphite processing plant extends the industrial chain to the high end of the value chain, transforming Mozambique from a "resource supplier" to a "product manufacturer" in the global graphite industry division of labor. President Chappo's statement of "promoting the export of high value-added products" essentially breaks down the division of labor barriers in the global industrial chain dominated by developed countries through cooperation, providing a new path for developing countries to achieve industrial breakthroughs.

The 'linkage effect' of infrastructure first:

Industrial upgrading is based on infrastructure. In the construction list of graphite processing plants, the supporting construction of nearly 100 kilometers of roads, cross river bridges, and transmission lines has become the most eye-catching "added value" of the project. These infrastructures may seem to serve factory production, but in reality, they have built a transportation and energy network that radiates the surrounding area, completely activating the development potential of Niasa Province. Previously, due to traffic congestion and power shortages, even with abundant resources, the region was difficult to develop, and the production and life of local residents were even more challenging. Nowadays, newly built roads connect villages and towns, and stable power coverage makes it possible for households to use electricity and small processing industries. The once remote Nippe district is gradually becoming a new hub of regional economy.

This linkage model of "industrial projects+infrastructure support" demonstrates the practical wisdom of China's "consultation, co construction, and sharing" concept. During its 18 years of deep cultivation in Mozambique, Jinan Yuxiao Group has always adhered to the principle of "wherever projects are built, infrastructure follows, and people's livelihoods benefit". From the Luliao Bridge connecting the north-south transportation artery, to the supporting highways connecting the production and sales markets, and to the transmission lines ensuring electricity supply for production and daily life, the investment of Chinese enterprises not only solves the bottleneck of their own development, but also fills the gap in local infrastructure. This cooperation logic of "both industrial upgrading and regional prosperity" has made industrial projects no longer isolated economic units, but "engines" that drive regional development, achieving a win-win situation between industrial and social benefits.

For the African continent, this cooperation model has important reference significance. Currently, many African countries are also facing the dilemma of abundant resources but backward industries. The practice of Jinan Yuxiao Group has shown that cooperating with Chinese enterprises, relying on their own resource advantages to develop high value-added industries, while improving infrastructure and improving people's livelihoods, is an effective path to achieve economic transformation. For China, the practice of such private enterprises in Africa has also expanded the breadth and depth of the "the Belt and Road" cooperation and demonstrated the responsibility and responsibility of Chinese enterprises. In the future, with the implementation of more similar projects, the successful experience of China Mozambique cooperation will continue to be replicated and promoted, injecting new impetus into the high-quality development of China Africa cooperation and providing more vivid examples for global South South cooperation.Editor/Bian Wenjun