Via Clingendael, a report on a large-scale Chinese investment in Angola:

China Gezhouba Group Corporation (CGGC) completed the construction of a marine passenger terminal in Cabinda Port, located in the southwest of Cabinda, an exclave and province of Angola, bordered by the Republic of the Congo and DR Congo. Cabinda Province is the main producer of Angola’s oil, and the vast majority of that oil goes to China. Other exports are hardwoods, cocoa, coffee, rubber, and palm oil.

The marine passenger terminal has departure and arrival halls, a baggage area, a restaurant, offices, and a security checkpoint. The terminal will connect Cabinda with the Angolan mainland. It is part of a larger Cabinda Port Project, which also includes a freight terminal, scheduled for completion at year’s end.

Construction of the terminal started in 2016, financed by a $57.4 million loan by the China Development Bank. It is called “a key project under the Belt and Road Initiative” by China’s state media. Angolan President João Lourenço was present at the inauguration ceremony of the passenger terminal on April 22, where he stated that the project plays “a vital role in the development of Cabinda Province”.

CGGC is a subsidiary of China Energy Engineering Corporation (CEEC), also known as Energy China, a large state-owned company based in Beijing. CGGC does more work in Angola, including a water distribution center in the capital Luanda, a power transmission project for expansion of Luassim Hydropower Station in North Ronda Province, and the construction of a $4.5 billion Caculo Cabaca Hydropower Project in North Kwanza Province.

Cabinda Port lies five kilometers to the north of Cabinda Airport, formerly known as Maria Mambo Café Airport. In 2016, the China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) did a $185 million upgrade of the airport, funded by loans from China. In February, the Angolan government launched a $250 million tender for another upgrade of the airport. However, considering the controversy around Chinese financing for Uganda’s Entebbe Airport and Angola’s wish to reduce its overall debt to China, it seems unlikely the project will go to a Chinese company again.