By Byron Mutingwende
Chinese healthcare giant, Tiens Group, seeks to invest more in Zimbabwe following President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s call for opening up the country to the international community, the company’s chairman, Li Jinyuan has said.
“I met President Mnangagwa and he revealed to me that he wants to open Zimbabwe for both local and international investors. As Chairman and CEO of the Tiens Group, we look forward to expanding our business and invest into other sectors of the economy,” Li Jinyuan said.
The Tiens Group has 40 companies in Africa and Li Jinyuan is in Zimbabwe to launch the company’s new strategy called the “One bird, multiple wings” which has the intention of taking Tiens to every part of the world.
Tiens’ entrepreneurship venture will benefit Zimbabwe in that apart from the provision of healthcare products, the company will take advantage of its multiple wings strategy to register new lines of business.
“Tiens wants to invest in global tourism, healthcare, e-commerce, financial marketing, engineering, real-estate, agriculture and general trade. Our intention is to buy and sell products and services across the globe. We are also into hotel business,” Li Jinyuan said.
Mrs. Miriam Kangai, the Patron of the Tiens Group in Zimbabwe said the country would benefit a lot from deepening ties with the Chinese.
“I have for long been part and parcel of the Tiens Group. The company is contributing a lot in good health and wellbeing of the people through its healthcare products.
“As a philanthropist, Mr. Li Jinyuan donated US$5 000 cash to the Zimbabwe Parents of Handicapped Children Association in Hatfield as part of his “give a hand of friendship and love” initiative. That gesture will go a long way in improving the lives of children with disabilities,” Mrs. Kangai said.
She revealed that the Tiens representatives had fruitful discussions with President Mnangagwa and First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa who also has a soft spot for orphans and children with disabilities.
Tiens has been existence for 24 years and runs businesses in 190 countries worldwide. It has branches in 110 counties out of the 190 countries it has does business in. Nearly 40 million families work directly with Tiens as clients or consumers of its products and services.
Its vision is to provide good healthcare to the people. The company has raised its worth from the community and ploughs back through its corporate social responsibility programmes.
Tiens has contributed over $500 million to charity in the 24 years it has been operational. It has managed to build an international university in China that sits on 3, 7 square kilometres of land. The university trains students in various disciplines and has 50 departments that accommodate 42 000 students. The university cost Tiens about US$2 billion.
Li Jinyuan said that in 2019, the university would have nine Nobel laureates as its consultants. The university also has partnership with reputable universities in the United States of America, England and Malaysia. Through China’s “One belt one road” initiative, foreign students from Africa and other parts of the world will be given scholarships to study at Chinese universities.