A unit of Chinese state-owned conglomerate Citic Ltd. will develop large-scale soybean and corn farms in Angola, as the world’s second-largest economy seeks to secure long-term supply amid a trade war with the US.

Citic Construction Co. is leading a group that will invest $250 million over five years with an aim to develop as much as 100,000 hectares (386.1 square miles) of land, according to Fan Juntao, the managing director of the company in Angola.

While China and the US have agreed on a trade framework to resolve tariffs disputes, details remain unclear. The North Asian nation last month booked a rare shipment of soybean meal from Argentina and has sought out a range of other suppliers to reduce its dependence on the US.

Angola is focused on tapping the “opportunity created by global geopolitics, trade wars, blocked markets,” Agriculture and Forestry Minister Isaac dos Anjos said at a briefing in Luanda. “This first agreement with Citic gives us a guaranteed buyer for Angolan soy. We’ll sign another deal Thursday with a second Chinese firm to expand exports beyond 500,000 tons of food products.”

About 60% of the produce will be exported to China, while the balance will be used for local consumption, the minister said.

Clearing work has begun on 3,000 hectares in Cuanza Norte and 5,000 in Malanje, with planting to start once surface rights are secured, said Citic’s Fan at the briefing.

“Our forecast is to reach 10,000 to 20,000 hectares by next year,” Fan said. “Citic will lead an agriculture support fund and apply high-yield technology to produce eight tons per hectare of corn and five tons of soy.”

China imported 105 million tons of soybeans in 2024, mostly to feed livestock. The US supplied about one fifth, a proportion that has shrunk in recent years after Beijing turned to other producers such as Brazil in the wake of the trade war with the first Trump administration.