HONG KONG: China National
Cereals, Oil & Foodstuffs Import & Export Corp (COFCO), the country's
biggest food trader, has not ruled out selling eight beverage plants it jointly
owns with Coca-Cola Co to its Hong Kong-listed unit COFCO International.
But it stressed the move would only happen in the long term.
The clarification came after Hong Kong-based Chinese-language newspaper Sing
Tao Daily said on Monday that COFCO would sell its 65 per cent stake in the
COFCO Coca-Cola Beverages Ltd joint venture to Hong Kong-listed COFCO
International Ltd, a deal which would involve total assets of 1 billion yuan
(US$125 million).
A spokeswoman with COFCO International, who would only gave her surname,
Leung, told China Daily yesterday that the parent firm currently does not have a
fixed plan to move the beverage plants to its Hong Kong-listed unit, but would
not "rule out the possibility" in the future.
"There will be an official announcement if the group has reached the decision
to sell COFCO Coca-Cola Beverages Ltd to COFCO International Ltd. We do not have
such a plan for the moment; however, we are not ruling out the possibility that
the group would make such a move in the future," Leung said in a phone interview
with China Daily.
Leung admitted that the group had been "considering" conducting such a deal
but did not reveal any further details.
COFCO International will make an official announcement this week in response
to Sing Tao Daily's report.
Investment bank BNP Paribas said in a report yesterday that the deal could be
very time-consuming and would not provide short-term gain.
BNP Paribas estimated COFCO International would post a net profit increase of
13 per cent year-on-year to 230 million yuan (US$28.75 million) for the first
half of 2006.
Hong Kong-listed COFCO International is due to release its first-half result
next Thursday.
Beijing-based COFCO apparently wants to strengthen its listed arm, but the
deal would be complicated as it involves a Sino-US joint venture, said South
China Research Ltd's associate director Andes Cheng.
COFCO Coca-Cola Beverages owns over 20 production plants in China and sells
drinks to 14 provinces in the country.
Based in Hong Kong and co-established in April 2000, COFCO Coca-Cola
Beverages Ltd is considered a milestone in the 20-year co-operation between
COFCO and the beverage firm.
COFCO Coca-Cola, which is 65 per cent-owned by COFCO with the remainder held
by Coca-Cola, is the country's first Chinese majority-owned bottling joint
venture.
Formerly known as China Food, COFCO is one of the largest import and export
companies in China.
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