Congo Trade Delegation Visits Solar EnerTech on a purchase mission
By: Marketwire .
MENLO PARK, CA /Apr. 23, 2007
Source: Solar EnerTech Corp. press release
http://www.sys-con.com/read/365252.htm
Solar EnerTech Corp. (OTCBB: SOEN) (the “Company”) is pleased to announce the recent visit by an official 11-member governmental trade delegation from The Republic of Congo at the Company’s solar cell plant in Shanghai with the stated intent as a purchasing mission.
The visit comes as a result of the Sino-Africa Economic Cooperation Summit held last November in Beijing, which was attended by 54 leaders from a number of African nations. Following the summit the Chinese government announced a renewable-energy aide program aimed at launching solar energy initiatives within Africa. Mme Jeanne Dambendzet, a senior Minister of the Congolese government and a proponent of alternative energy solutions for her country, led the delegation for a pre-purchase manufacturing inspection. The solar projects enjoy financial support by both the Congolese and Chinese governments with China Industrial and Agricultural Machinery Import and Export Company, a Chinese state-owned entity, acting as intermediary agent to manage the export of completed solar modules and integrated systems to the project locations in Congo.
China’s interest in Africa is based on ties going back to the 1960s and 1970s. Current interests have evolved into the pursuit of trade and investment in a number of sectors including renewable energy. To facilitate this interaction, the year 2000 saw the founding of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum (“CACF”) which has vigorously promoted strong trade and investment relations between China and many African countries at the level of intra-governmental, public and private sectors. The CACF has already produced two ministerial level meetings and four conferences of senior officials, contributing to the rapid growth of trade and investment within the past five years, and the China-African summit held last year marked a singular accomplishment in terms of attendance, recognition, and achievements undertaken by Forum members. Current levels of trade between China and African countries are in excess of US $32 billion and growing at an annual rate of 50 percent since 2002.
As a further initiative, the Sino-Congo Strategic Partnership was established in 2006 to expand the relationship within the areas of increased political cooperation, including commitments towards economic, cultural and health matters between the nations. The current solar program is an endeavor by Congolese officials to introduce renewable energy solutions for the nation’s under-developed rural areas.
During the visit at Solar EnerTech, Company COO, S.J. Yin, provided the delegation with an overview of the solar manufacturing process after which they enjoyed a guided tour of the state-of-the-art 42,000 square foot facility. In order to appreciate the complexity of operations, the visitors were shown the systematic process of solar cell fabrication from an ultra-thin silicon wafer through to module lamination, testing, and completion as the vital primary component of a typical solar electric generating system ready for shipment worldwide.