Zimbabwe's Mugabe arrives in China
07-23-2005, 21h31
BEIJING (AFP)

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, seen here on July 5, arrived in Beijing evening to begin a six-day visit aimed at fulfilling the promise of his "Look East" policy of fostering better relations with Asian nations.
(AFP/File)

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe arrived in Beijing evening to begin a six-day visit aimed at fulfilling the promise of his "Look East" policy of fostering better relations with Asian nations.

During his visit Mugabe would meet with or hold talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao and top lawmaker Wu Bangguo, the official Xinhua news agency said after reporting his arrival.

Besides Beijing, Mugabe would also visit the northeastern province of Jilin, it said.

Following sanctions and isolation from Western countries over the political crisis in the country, Zimbabwe has turned to Asia, seeking to buttress political and trade relations in particular with China, Malaysia and Singapore.

China has been a leading investor in Zimbabwe with both nations exploring new areas of cooperation.

"We have been allies, partners and excellent friends for a long time starting from the days of our liberation struggle," Mugabe was quoted by Xinhua as telling a visiting delegation from China's ruling Communist Party last month.

"The relationship was strengthened even much more after our independence in 1980. Now we are looking at several socio-economic ways and dimensions in which we could further consolidate our relations."

Leader of the CCP delegation Tan Jialin said China was interested in Zimbabwe's natural resources.

"Zimbabwe has good resources and abundant natural resources and China has an advantage for development. The two peoples should get great benefits from this cooperation and we have full confidence in this regard," Tan, assistant minister of the CCP International Department, said.

However, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) economic affairs spokesman Tapiwa Mashakada said that Zimbabwe would not reap any benefits from Mugabe's China trip, his first since 1999.

"If previous trips are anything to judge by, there is nothing we can benefit from the trip in terms of bringing our country out of its current economic quagmire," Mashakada told AFP.

Zimbabwe's economy has been on a downturn over the past five years characterised by high unemployment and poverty levels as well as galloping inflation and foreign currency and fuel shortages.

A deal for road construction maintenance and equipment is expected to be reached during the upcoming trip, Xinhua said.

Zimbabwe has signed several agreements with China in recent years including a deal that the Zimbabwean government says includes receiving 1,000 buses from China to take a 75 percent share of the urban transport sector.

In April, Zimbabwe's national airliner took delivery of two MA60 passenger planes bought from the Chinese state-owned AVIC aircraft manufacturer and received a third plane as a gift.

The southern African country had earlier received six Chinese-made Karakorum (K-8) military trainer jets.

AFP

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