Chinese economic expansionism is spreading around the world. Recently, agricultural diplomacy has begun to focus on cocoa production. Cocoa is now produced in Xinglong, in the island province of Hainan, a region with a tropical climate in the south. Already, an export of about 500 kg of beans has been made to Belgium, worth US$3,600 (about 3,500 CFA francs per kg).
The usual producers should be concerned about this new competition, which could lead to an asymmetrical trade war. To the extent that countries (Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Cameroon) are unable to modernize production and the processing chain, they risk being crushed by the Chinese giant and losing all rights to quote on the international market.
Comparison is not reason, but France, which does not have oil as a natural resource, is a member of OPEC, with nine refineries.
Cocoa is no longer a matter of raw material from tropical regions. There is now a new production area located further north in the world, CHINA.
