China-Zimbabwe Ties: President Mnangagwa visits China on President Xi’s invitation
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s state visit to China is underway in Beijing.
Mr. Mnangagwa made the trip following an invitation by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Mnangagwa met President Xi at the Great Hall of the People where they agreed to establish a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation between the two countries.
The Zimbabwean President is also expected to meet Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, together with the Chairman of China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee, Li Zhanshu.
President Mnangagwa also will visit Anhui and Zhejiang provinces in East China.
The trip is will be an emotional one for the Zimbabwean leader, who received military training in China during the liberation war.
Xi said China has been happy to see the economic reform policies that Mnangagwa put in place after the “peaceful, smooth” transfer of power.
Mnangagwa said that Zimbabwe appreciated China’s political support and goodwill and thanked Xi for sending an envoy immediately upon his inauguration.
“That was a great honour,” he said.
With his visit, Zimbabwe would attempt to tap China’s huge financial resources, technical expertise and modern technology in order to help revive the economy, Mnangagwa told the official Xinhua news agency in an interview on Saturday.
In December, Zimbabwe signed a $153 million loan agreement with China to expand and refurbish its international airport in Harare in a bid to attract investors and tourists, the first such deal under the new government.
China’s foreign ministry said a trip to Beijing by Zimbabwe’s military chief one week before the army seized power in the South African nation was a “normal military exchange” amid speculation at the time he had come to brief on plans to seize power.
Mnangagwa is likely to join other African leaders coming to Beijing in September for a summit held once every three years.
CGTN will bring you updates on his five-day visit.
