Chinese President Xi Jinping visited a wildlife sanctuary in Harare Wednesday morning before wrapping up a state visit to Zimbabwe, in a show of the country’s commitment to wildlife protection.
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Chinese authorities are also said to be in talks about opening up new areas of financing to give Zimbabwe access to much needed lines of credit.
China’s importance to Zimbabwe’s economy has grown over the past 10 years, with trade between the two countries doubling to $1,2 billion between 2010 and 2014.
Several investment deals are set to be signed between the two countries at Zimbabwe’s State House on Tuesday evening and the ceremony will be presided over by Mugabe and his Chinese counterpart.
Mike Danish, a lecturer with International Relations at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, said China’s establishment of new financing mechanisms such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the BRICS New Development Bank was a “clear indication that China wants to assist in the reduction of poverty in Africa”.
Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce President, Davison Norupiri, said business welcome Mr. Xi’s pledge to support local business people.
Xi inspected a guard of honour mounted at Harare airport’s domestic terminal.
Xi’s visit to South Africa comes a day after meeting Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe in Harare, where the Chinese leader signed deals worth more than $4 billion, according to Zimbabwean newspapers. A slew of deals for power plants, infrastructure and agriculture projects are expected to be announced during Xi’s visit to the continent, which houses some of the most impoverished nations in the world.
“South Africa is economically the most developed and politically the most stable among the countries in Africa”, Zhang said.
Chinese and South African nuclear regulators have recently signed a technical agreement on matters that include, “licensing procedures, vendor inspections, inspector training, joint inspections and technical support”.
While on his African trip, Xi is also expected to showcase China’s expanding role as a protector of regional security.
Last year, in the face of the Ebola epidemic, China sent more than 1,000 epidemic control experts and medical workers to Africa and built in a timely fashion treatment centres in the affected areas. China is Africa’s largest trading partner with trade amounting to $220 billion in 2014, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
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The traditional friendship forged by Mugabe and past generations of Chinese leaders is a precious wealth shared by both countries, he said, calling Zimbabwe an “all-weather friend” of China. China has invested in construction, energy and telecommunications projects in Zimbabwe.
