Chinese business group Shenzhen Qianhai Zhongjin is expected to finance more than one graphite exploration operation by Australia’s Triton Minerals in northern Mozambique. The news was given by the mining company in a statement sent to online news portal Macauhub, in Maputo.

The co-operation between China and Cape Verde has entered a new stage, said Cape Verde’s Minister of Tourism, Investments and Business Development, Leonesa Fortes. The two countries are already discussing the possibility of new investment in Cape Verde by Chinese companies, as well as of new forms of support to Cape Verde’s small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) she added.

Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos will visit China next week. The aim is to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying confirmed in a regular press conference on Wednesday.

The proposed transcontinental railway linking Brazil to Peru would expand the trade between the two countries by US$10 billion, said Brazilian Ambassador to Peru, Carlos Alfredo Lazary.

The Guinea-Bissau Government will “soon” buy 500 tractors for agricultural production. According to news portal Macauhub, the move, announced by the Minister of Agriculture, Aníbal João Pereira, is said to mark the first step towards the mechanisation of agriculture in the country.

The relationship between China and Brazil has become more influential across the globe, said Li Jinzhang, the Chinese Ambassador to the South American nation. He made the remarks last week, while attending a seminar in Brazil to discuss Sino-Brazilian ties, the Chinese embassy said in a statement.

China’s official manufacturing gauge rose to a six-month high in May, but the downside pressure remains high, said the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics.

Portugal’s Novo Banco is likely to be acquired by a Chinese owner. Several Chinese firms have offered higher bids than other contenders, according to media reports.

Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos is expected to visit China “very soon”. According to Portuguese news agency Lusa, the news was given by the Chinese Ambassador in Luanda, Gao Kexiang, who also sent the President a message from Chinese President Xi Jinping.

A delegation of Cape Verdean officials and business representatives will visit China this week aiming to attract Chinese investments in the archipelago, local newspaper A Semana reported.

A Brazilian trade mission will visit China this month to promote Brazil’s beef exports. Some firms from that country last month received authorisation to sell there, Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua has reported.

In the short term, China is interested in opening branches of some of its banks in Angola, as part of the economic co-operation between the two countries. The news was given on Thursday in Beijing by the Chinese counterpart of the Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation between China and Angola.