Rabobank will enter into a strategic partnership with Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) covering areas including wholesale banking, rural finance and asset management, Dow Jones reported. The Dutch cooperative bank has a strong presence in food and agriculture finance. ABC’s near US$30 billion initial public offering is imminent after China’s securities regulator said Friday that it would conduct a review of the deal on Wednesday. The Hong Kong regulator is expected to follow suit on Thursday. According to a preliminary prospectus, ABC plans to sell up to 56.3 billion share, or 17% of its enlarged capital base, if over-allotment options are exercised in Shanghai and Hong Kong. The offering will be split 55%-45% in Hong Kong’s favour. ABC is the weakest of China’s Big Four lenders, posting a net profit of US$9.6 billion last year on assets of US$1.3 trillion to Bank of China’s (601988.SH, 3988.HK) US$11.8 billion profit on assets of US$1.28 trillion.