Chinese cashmere giant weaves 28 years of China-Africa collaboration

A Chinese staff provides technical guidance to local workers at the Madagascar plant of China’s Inner Mongolia King Deer Cashmere Co., Ltd. in Antananarivo, Madagascar, March 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Yahui)

In an industrial park in Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo, machines hum as local workers skillfully craft exquisite garments using premium cashmere yarn from north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

This year marks the 28th anniversary of Inner Mongolia Cashmere Co., Ltd., one of China’s largest cashmere producers, establishing a presence in Africa. Starting from humble beginnings, the local company has grown into a thriving operation, bringing advanced technology and valuable employment opportunities to the region. Through these efforts, it is weaving a new bond of China-Africa cooperation. King Deer uses approximately 10 percent of the world’s cashmere raw materials annually. The Madagascar facility, primarily serving high-end European and American markets, operates five modern factories across 48,000 square meters, and produces 2 million cashmere products annually. King Deer ventured into Madagascar in 1997, just four years before China’s WTO accession, becoming one of the first Chinese enterprises to establish a cashmere production base in Africa.

Company President Zheng Haisheng highlighted the firm’s successful localization strategy, noting a dramatic shift in workforce composition. The company employs 3,200 local workers and only 31 Chinese technical personnel. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company donated a pharmaceutical factory valued at 200 million yuan (about 28 million U.S. dollars) to the Madagascar government. 

Rivoherimanitriniaina Rado, a production assistant who joined the company in 2006, has witnessed the enterprise’s development journey firsthand. He began his career as an operator of computerized flat knitting machines and, through five years of hard work, earned a promotion to team leader. Just two years later, he advanced to the role of production assistant, and now, he is responsible for production scheduling and personnel management. “Working at King Deer has provided me with a stable income and created favorable conditions for my children’s education,” he said. “I’ve not only found a platform for career development but also have the opportunity to pass on my skills to my Madagascar colleagues.”

The most significant indicator of the company’s localization process has been talent development. Xia Yonghai, general manager of Madagascar King Deer Co., Ltd., noted that the technical workers they have trained have become the backbone of the local textile industry, holding key positions in many similar companies. The community surrounding the King Deer facility is affectionately called the “King Deer Community” by local residents. From job creation to community development, the Chinese cashmere company’s African footprint has transcended simple production cooperation, weaving warm bonds of people-to-people connections between China and Africa. King Deer’s presence in Africa illustrates the deepening bilateral exchanges that go far beyond simple overseas investments between China and Africa. At the fourth China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo held in June this year, China and several African countries signed 10 cooperation agreements. These agreements encompass collaboration in vocational education, the co-construction of industrial colleges, and overseas talent training. They aim to promote deeper integration between vocational education cooperation and economic development in China and Africa.

This year, China’s Ministry of Education’s Center for Language Education and Cooperation, Baotou Light Industry Vocational Technical College, and King Deer have jointly established a workshop in Madagascar. The project not only teaches the Chinese language but also vocational skills, offering local employees opportunities to learn Chinese and engage in more bilateral cultural exchanges. Beatrice Chan Ching Yiu, deputy general manager at Madagascar King Deer Co., Ltd., has worked there for two decades and has a deep appreciation for cultural exchanges between China and Madagascar. She started as a translator, joined the finance department, became part of leadership in 2005, and now heads the administrative and human resources department. “During my time at King Deer, I’ve experienced Chinese culture deeply and gained a profound understanding of Chinese traditional customs and workplace etiquette. This cross-cultural environment has taught me work concepts such as teamwork,” she said.

Within the broader China-Africa cooperation framework, China-Africa partnership is embracing new historical opportunities. In 2024, two-way trade reached a record of 295.6 billion U.S. dollars, marking a 4.8 percent year-on-year increase. This solidified China’s position as Africa’s largest trading partner for the 16th consecutive year. Meanwhile, imports from Africa reached 116.8 billion U.S. dollars, up 6.9 percent year on year. This has also reaffirmed King Deer’s commitment to expanding its presence in Africa.  According to Zheng, the company plans to expand investment in Madagascar, including the construction of intelligent cashmere dyeing and spinning production lines, along with a rooftop photovoltaic power generation system to create a green, environmentally friendly and intelligent factory.   “In the future, we will continue to uphold the concept of win-win cooperation, inject more Chinese strength into African economic development, and weave an even closer China-Africa community of shared future,” he said.

Xinhua