Yet President Robert Mugabe, who presided over the signing of the 10 investment deals together with Xi at the official State House in Harare last night, showed no concern about China’s investment philosophy.
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Mugabe welcomed Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan describing them as “true and dear friends of the people of Zimbabwe”.
“The Chinese president will make a difference in our trade relations with China in a manner that is sustainable, in a manner that will attract many investors into Zimbabwe”, the minister told Xinhua.
South African state owned enterprises including Eskom, Transnet, the Industrial Development Corporation, SA National Space Agency and the SA Nuclear Corporation also signed deals with Chinese institutions.
In addition to bolstering economic ties and investing in infrastructure projects, China has been expanding its role in boosting the strife-torn continent’s security.
Xi held talks with Mugabe to discuss the traditional friendship between the nations, seeking pragmatic cooperation in various fields, and deepening the bilateral partnership of mutual benefits and common development.
Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe has strongly pursued a “Look East” policy since the West isolated him over his controversial land reform programme. “This agreement has provided a vital guidance for the growth of China-Zimbabwe relations”.
Panview offers an alternative angle on China and the rest of the world through the analyses and opinions of experts.
“It’s not going to change our economic fortunes in the short-term”, Antony Hawkins, an economist at the University of Zimbabwe’s School of Business, told AFP.
Makomo Resources, Zimbabwe’s largest coal producer by output, has also laid out plans to build a US$1,5 billion, 600MW thermal power plant in Hwange, to be financed by Chinese investors. China is a major market of ivory and rhino horn poached from African pachyderms.
China has said it is holding discussions with Djibouti on setting up a naval logistics centre in the Horn of Africa nation to service Chinese anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden and other regional missions. South Africa has been especially supportive on the political front, twice barring entry to the Dalai Lama, a Nobel Peace Prize victor who is derided by Beijing as an advocate for Tibetan independence from Chinese rule.
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“The state visit by President Xi to South Africa is a very important visit”, said Clayson Monyela, a spokesman for South Africa’s foreign ministry, speaking to VOA News from Pretoria, South Africa’s capital, where President Jacob Zuma is hosting the Chinese president. Africa possessed plenty of potentially renewable energy sources such as hydro power, geothermal, biomass, solar and wind energy and these presented huge investment opportunities for China, Denton said.
