The Premier of Limpopo, Mr Cassel Mathale, returned from the People’s Republic of China on Sunday. Mathale was leading a government and business delegation on a week-long trade and investment promotion mission. The delegation also participated in the 2010 World Coal-to-Liquid (CTL) Conference in Beijing. The conference brought together experts and investors form various countries to share experiences and learn about the renowned expertise in the development of coal-to-liquid technology and new forms of coal beneficiation opportunities. The delegates at this conference, according to the spokesperson for the Limpopo government, Mr Mogale Nchabeleng, have agreed to forge ahead, establish and enhance a global alliance and partnership to ensure a continued investment in innovation, research and development. "This will also include the commercialization of technologies and the optimisation of available coal resources in order to reduce the high capital expenditure," he said. Nchabeleng added that on the trade and investment promotion leg of the mission, the Premier and the entire delegation met with various investors in Beijing and Inner Mongolia to showcase the capacity and potential of the province in terms of coal reserves and related green field investments. "The investors have expressed interest in investing in Limpopo. Because of this expressed interest, it was agreed that a joint working committee between the Limpopo Provincial Government and these investors should be established to identify common areas of interest for cooperation. The joint committee is expected to report on progress to the principals in the next two months," said Nchabeleng. The Premier has appointed Mr Nepo Kekana, the Senior General Manager responsible for policy and planning, to represent the provincial government in these joint committees. In a media statement on Monday this week, Mathale said: "The ongoing massive investments in Lephalale municipality, particularly the construction of the biggest coal-fired Medupi Power station, the imminent establishment of coal-to-liquid plant in the same area and the discovery of yet another huge reserve of coal in Musina, put Limpopo on the right developmental path to meet its socio-economic goals posed by challenges of underdevelopment, unemployment and abject poverty." South Africa as a developing economy, according to Mathale, is strategically positioned and heavily endowed with coal deposits, placing it amongst the top countries of the world with the largest coal deposits. "Limpopo, having a major share of these coal deposits in our country, is ready to be utilized for the development, eradication of poverty, access to energy (including electricity), and to take South Africa, sub-Saharan Africa and the rest of the African continent to a more diversified trajectory of economic growth and development," said Mathale.