He said Mugabe and Xi are expected to sign several economic deals. China’s ratio of global trade is significant and it was unnecessary for countries to go through third party currencies, Chanakira said, the cost of trade will be reduced significantly by direct yuan payments.
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This marks the first visit of a Chinese leader to the country since 1996.
Lusulu officials have said China State Construction Engineering Corp will design and construct the plant, as well as build power lines to transmit the electricity and expects to complete the project in 2019.
The relationship between China and Africa is a partnership that is aligned to Africa’s development goals and not merely based on just trade, South African Minister in the Presidency responsible for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Jeff Radebe, has said.
China’s President Xi Jinping visited Zimbabwe on Tuesday on a rare trip by a world leader to a country shunned by Western powers over President Robert Mugabe’s widely-criticised record on human rights.
Two more private sector agreements were also signed between International Business of China and China Africa Sunlight Energy on the development of coal and methane gas mines as well the establishment of 600 MW thermal power station in Gwayi.
Zimbabweans are expecting to see the mega deals signed by Harare and China trickle down to the people in the grassroots and eventually change their lives for the better.
Zuma said, “Media cooperation between China and Africa captures our strong people-to-people cooperation, which can be enhanced by the increased role of the media”.
Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe has strongly pursued a “Look East” policy since the West isolated him over his controversial land reform programme.
“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.
While China is Africa’s biggest trading partner, with two- way flows exceeding $220 billion past year, the pace of investment has slowed.
Despite the slowdown in its economy, China is expected to finance industrialization projects in African countries, according to Danish.
The two sides will jointly chart the course of cooperation within the next three years, with an aim to accelerate Africa’s industrialization process and help Africa achieve sustainable development, Xi said.
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Zimbabwe’s economy is struggling to emerge from a recession that lasted from 1999 to 2008 and saw gross domestic product shrink by 45 percent. One such event was a round-table meeting, jointly hosted by Independent Media and China Public Diplomacy Association.
