A delegation led by Kuok Khoon Hong, chairman and chief executive officer of Wilmar International Limited and chairman of Yihai Kerry, visited Qidong, a county-level city of Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province on Aug 1.

Yihai Kerry is a subsidiary of Wilmar incorporated in the Chinese mainland, through which Robert Kuok, a well-known patriotic overseas Chinese, and his nephew Kuok Khoon Hong make business investments in the Chinese mainland.

With nearly 30,000 employees, Yihai Kerry has more than 70 production bases which have been built or are under construction in 26 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities across the country, and over 100 manufacturing entities.

It also boasts more than 300 comprehensive processing workshops that are mainly involved in oilseed crushing, edible oil refining, oil technology, corn deep-processing, wheat deep-processing, rice circular economy and other industries.

The delegation visited the planning hall of the Lyusi Port economic development zone, the "2+2" wharf of Lyusi Port area of Tongzhou Bay and the sea-river connection segment and conducted an on-site investigation of the feasibility of the group's investment in Lyusi Port and the follow-up work.

Located at the estuary of the Yangtze River, Qidong is adjacent to Shanghai and enjoys a favorable location, which is of benefit to Yihai Kerry's industrial layout and development in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region, Kuok said.

Equipped with wharfs, inland waterways and railways, Lyusi Port has convenient transport conditions and complete production factors. Sufficient raw materials for production and broad market prosperity are readily available. Yihai Kerry will station in Qidong to achieve a double win, Kuok added.

The national development strategies of the Belt and Road Initiative, the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the YRD integration are being pushed. As an important point in Shanghai metropolitan circle, Qidong has embraced multiple development opportunities. It is hoped that the two sides will deepen communication and promote cooperation through the visit. Qidong will provide support for the enterprises that invest in the city via high-quality services and incentive policies, said Wang Xiaobin, Party secretary of Qidong.

A delegation from Yihai Kerry and led by its chairman Kuok Khoon Hong visits Lyusi Port in Qidong, a county-level city of Nantong, on Aug 1. [Photo/WeChat account: qdrmt0513]