Honourable Acting Minister of Defence and War Veterans Affairs, Minister of National Housing and Social Amenities Daniel Garwe,
Honourable Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade David Musabayana,
Honourable Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care Chamunorwa J. Mangwiro,
Honourable Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence and War Veterans Affairs ADT. Nhepera,
Commander of Defence Forces of Zimbabwe, General Philip Valerio Sibanda,
Commander of the Air Force of Zimbabwe, Air-Marshal Elson Moyo,
Other senior officials from the government and the military,
Your Excellencies and colleagues from diplamtic corps,
Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good afternoon! Masikati!
It is my great pleasure to welcome you all here today as we celebrate the 96th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army of China.
Following my colleague senior colonel Zhu Yonglong, once again，I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to all of you for your presence.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the past 96 years has seen the PLA’s founding and growth during China’s struggle for national independence and liberation, and witnessed the armys robust development in the process of China’s reform and opening up.
Same as China, the Zimbabwean people and Zimbabwean army have also made enormous sacrifice in their fight for national liberation and thus highly appreciate their hard-won sovereignty and independence.
It is worth noting that the PLA shares a long-lasting friendship with the Zimbabwean army, which dates back to 1960s and 1970s.
The precious memories of the solidarity and synergy between our two armies, are our shared legacy, which continues to shape and inject momentum to our relations nowadays.
Last Friday, H.E. President Mnangagwa commended five young Zimbabwean trainee pilots for successfully completing their 4-year training courses in China and receiving their wings in Gweru, which vividly reflects the fraternal relations between our two countries and our two militaries.
Ladies and gentlemen, I feel deeply honored and privileged to serve as the Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe, being able to embrace a special relationship, the hospitality of the Zimbabwean friends, and embark on a great journey of profound friendship.
In less two months, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting with H.E. President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Hon. Vice President Dr. C.G.D.N. Chiwenga, Hon. Defence Minister Oppah Zvipange Muchinguri-Kashiri, Hon. Foreign Minister Frederick Shava and other ministers, high-level officials, during which we engaged in extensive and substantive discussions aimed at enhancing our relations and cooperation.
I’ve also got the chance to interact with people from all walks of life, and was deeply inspired by their friendliness, trust and desire to carry forward our great relations.
In the past 2 months, I have also witnessed the unremitting efforts by the government of Zimbabwe and the people of Zimbabwe to boost their economy, explored the breathtaking natural beauty of Zimbabwe, and listened to many heartwarming stories about China-Zimbabwe friendship.
Most importantly, I have witnessed the renewed vigour and vitality of our traditional friendship.
Funded by the Chinese government’s concessional loans, the Kariba South Power Station and Hwange Power Station have brightened up millions of Zimbabwean households.
The commissioning of the new terminal of Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport is turning Zimbabwe into a major aviation hub in southern Africa.
Thousands of boreholes across Zimbabwe aided by China, are providing hundreds of thousands of people with easy access to clean and safe drinking water.
The Chinese Governments’ emergency food assistance to Zimbabwe has brought hope and smiles to numerous people and various vulnerable communities.
The Chinese Medical Team has worked around the clock for 38 consecutive years to bring relief to local patients.
Meanwhile, Chinese private sector investment in the lithium industry has helped Zimbabwe to become a significant part of global new energy supply chains.
While creating tens of thousands of jobs and huge tax revenue for Zimbabwe, Chinese companies have also actively fulfilled their social responsibilities and given back to local communities by building roads, schools, clinics, orphanages, etc… Our bilateral trade keeps expanding with an inspiring increase of 30% last year.
In addition to tobacco, citrus and other fruits are also entering the Chinese market in large quantities.
With the support of the Chinese government, businesses, and our embassy in Zimbabwe, a great number of Zimbabwean citizens have visited China for skills training, study, business and tourism after the pandemic.
In short, the cooperation between our two countries is expanding like never before, reaching new levels both in width and depth.
Ladies and gentlemen, China has always regarded Zimbabwe as a sincere friend and partner.
Building on our traditional friendship and the principle of mutual benefit, China and Zimbabwe will continue to advance our bilateral exchanges and cooperation in various areas, and deliver tangible benefits to both our peoples. At the same time, we will continue to join hands in safeguarding world peace and stability.
As we believe that, our development relies on a peaceful and stable international environment.
In April 2022, H.E President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Security Initiative(GSI), which champions a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, follows the philosophy that humanity is an indivisible security community, and advocates a new security concept that emphasizes dialogue over confrontation, partnership over alliance and win-win cooperation over zero-sum game.
This Initiative provides China’s solution to international security challenges.
Our brotherly friend Zimbabwe, shares the same position concerning world security issues and stands among the first countries to support the GSI. As H.E. President Mnangagwa said, in his letter to President Xi Jinping, “The GSI is timely for being an all-inclusive process that aims to uphold the values of the United Nations Charter through the development of consensus-based mechanisms that respect the sovereignty of member states as well as the diversity of humankind”.
Ladies and gentlemen, facing unprecedented challenges in human society, I’m fully convinced that Zimbabwe and Zimbabwean people have the ability and wisdom to follow their chosen path to prosperity.
And China is ready to work with Zimbabwe and all peace-loving countries to build a community with a shared future for mankind.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to all those who have long been supporting China-Zimbabwe relations.
I wish you all good health and every success in all your endeavours.
Long live China-Zimbabwe friendship!
