Xi – accompanied by his wife Peng Liyuan – first stopped in Zimbabwe, where Chinese projects have helped support an economy plunged into crisis under President Robert Mugabe’s rule.
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China’s President Xi Jinping has arrived in Zimbabwe, making him the most prominent global leader in many years to visit the country.
Xi will also co-chair a two-day Forum on China-Africa Cooperation which begins in Johannesburg on Friday, with several African heads of state expected to attend, including Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari. “As a trade union or as workers, we have not seen much from our Chinese colleagues”, he said.
“We share the same conviction that only a fair, just and non-prescriptive world order, based on the principles of the charter of the United Nations, can deliver the development we all need”.
Mugabe looked sharp as he welcomed Xi at the Harare International Airport shortly after 10am yesterday.
Among the investment deals that China signed with Zimbabwe yesterday was the construction of Hwange 7 and 8 units that will add 600 megawatts to the country’s power grid.
Kagwanja says there is a consensus between China and its African friends that win-win cooperation and non-interference in a country’s sovereign affairs will be upheld for ever. “We agree that both countries should make full use of this, to translate our friendship into concrete impetus for mutual benefit”, said Xi. “Our infrastructure team’s long-standing view is that China will refocus infrastructure investment away from Africa toward developed markets”.
In South Africa, there is also a lot of money on the table, Monyela said. The Chinese president is leading a delegation of 200 people.
But China’s Commerce Ministry recently admitted that Chinese investments to Africa had fallen by 40 percent in the first half of this year – a move that some analysts attributed to China’s slowing economy.
Africa’s energy deficit and sunny climate offer favorable conditions for the growth of the solar power industry in China.
Pointing out that wildlife protection is one of the key areas in China-Zimbabwe cooperation, he said China will continue to help Zimbabwe improve its capability in this regard by donating equipment and conducting exchanges of experience.
President Muhammadu Buhari, Rotimi Amaechi, the minister for transportation will be in South Africa on Thursday to participate in the Forum on China/Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) with plans to revive Nigerian rails.
President Jacob Zuma is focusing on the bottom line, after meeting with China’s leader.
“China will not follow the beaten track of past major powers and will not sacrifice Africa’s environment and long-term interests”, Wang said.
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The country’s biggest thermal power station, which has an installed capacity of 920 MW, is also in Hwange, and smaller ones are found in Harare, Bulawayo and Munyati.
