Beyond Yellow Machines: VP Koung holds investment meetings

Shandong, China, June 18, 2025: Liberia’s Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung is expected to meet with Shandong Province Governor Zhou Naixiang today as the latter appears to have shown interest in investing in Liberia.

The meeting between the two leaders is expected to take place following the Vice President’s visit to Qingdao Port, a Shandong Port Group. Details of these meetings are scanty, but they are geared towards potential investment opportunities in Liberia.

The Shandong Port Group has, in recent times, been engaged with Liberia’s National Port Authority Management over potential investment in the country’s port facilities.

These meetings with both Governor Zhou and authorities at Shandong port come on the sidelines of a verification visit to three companies which have expressed unsolicited bids to supply 285 earth-moving equipment to Liberia.

Among the group seeking to provide the Yellow Machines is Shantui, a company that is part of the Shandong Heavy Industries Group. Shandong is an SOE owned by Shandong Province.

Vice President Koung and the delegation wrapped up their visit at Shandong Heavy Industries at Laiwa on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, and were transferred to Laiwa Xueye Lake Conference Center, where they had lunch before taking a high-speed G207 train to Jinan East, Qindao North, where they retired for the day.

Factory officials were able to showcase to the Vice President and delegation several lines of production, including Sino Trucks, Boats, 50–75-seater buses, as production was in progress.

The Laiwa Factory Sinotruck, Jinan Truck Manufacturing Company, is a key component of Shandong Province’s major initiative.

The Liberian Government has set a ceiling of US$22 million to purchase earth-moving equipment and has received unsolicited bids from three companies based in China-Sany Group in Changsha, Shantui in Shandong, and the ABK Group.

Vice President Koung is currently leading a delegation in China visiting the three companies in these provinces for a physical verification of the earth-moving equipment and suppliers.

The aim of Vice President Koung’s delegation which comprises Public Works Minister Roland Gittens, Public Procurement and Concession Commission boss Scott, Assistant Finance Minister for Budget Sarah Mulbah and General Services Agency Fleet Manager Roberts Wilson among others is to inspect and compare equipment quality, plant capacity, and production standards of the three companies.

“We aim to get value for money. We aim to get a fair market value for the money to avoid ambiguity in price,” VP Koung told Sany Group Vice President Li Qin during his delegation’s first stop at Sany Group in Changsha, Monday, June 16.

“We don’t want cheap items but quality with affordable prices,” he said, “The country is considering the processes and middlemen/ agents in getting the product to Liberia, which might increase the price. We understand businesspeople aim to make a profit; however, we don’t want to buy and don’t have a real market value,” he added.

As per the government’s procurement request, the suppliers must be able to include in the package supplies of spare parts, training of Liberians, and maintenance for certain period.

As for Shandong, it’s a Chinese SOE manufacturing company with 40 percent production revenue from China and 40 percent from global sales of products made in China, and 20 percent is produced and sold from global production sites.

SHABDONG HEAVY Industry Group has six major business segments: power systems, commercial vehicles, Agriculture, construction, intelligent logistics, and machines

At the end of the tour on Tuesday, VP Koung thanked the Shandong Group chairman for the tour, saying Liberia is a small country but “we envy China. That you took yourself from poverty is enviable.”

The tour of the Sinotruck Factory was intended to showcase the company’s potential to VP Koung and his delegation. The trucks are built for various purposes, from construction to mining. -Edited by Othello B. Garblah.