YaSheng Group and Natural Capital Investment Ltd. (formerly known as Lemco Investments) announced that following the change of name of the latter's operation (now referred to as 'Natcap') and in accordance with the spirit of the memorandum of understanding and the joint venture term sheet it had entered into with Yasheng Group in 2013, they have now adjusted all the relevant documentation accordingly to reflect the change of name and the two companies are taking all the necessary steps to complete the relevant documentation to be able to start a joint operation to conduct the acquisition, development and commercialization of land-based assets representing high value both in terms of income and positive eco-social impacts in the developing world, Latin America in particular. The proposed joint venture that now enters into its final phase aims to set a unique landmark model of sustainable development led by a private initiative which has the prospect of being both profitable and socially responsible. It shall aim to secure access to land and exclusive commercial rights on assets such as timber, agriculture, forestry carbon, minerals, aquaculture and environmental services, amongst others.

The announced joint venture, once completed, will for the first time facilitate the fostering of avoided deforestation and reforestation initiatives through the prospective trading of forestry carbon credits in the far east, China in particular, thereby procuring a sound solution for the reduction and/or offsetting of carbon emissions and at the same time securing an effective contribution to the protection of thousands of hectares of forests under threat and the survival of the communities and ecosystems who are entirely dependent on those forests.