Story by Yvonne Mkondani
CHINA and Zimbabwe have pledged to consolidate bilateral relations anchored on diplomacy and increased trade.
The two countries once again expressed commitment in advancing and enhancing cooperation towards their socio-economic development.
This came out during celebrations to mark the 74th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China in Harare this Friday, where Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe His Excellency Zhou Ding revealed his country is ready to ignite a new momentum in the modernisation of African countries.
Ambassador Zhou Ding said Zimbabwe and China will continue to exploit trade and economic cooperation in various facets, highlighting some of the completed projects under the beneficial cooperation.
“In the past several years, we are proud to have supported Zimbabwe in building of the new magnificent Hwange Power Station, the new terminal of the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, the new Parliament building, the brand new national pharmaceutical warehouse, and 1000 boreholes,” he said.
Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Professor Amon Murwira pointed to some of major investment projects undertaken by China in Zimbabwe and singled out mining as one of the sectors where Chinese investors have made inroads.
“We are happy that President Emmerson Mnangagwa recently commissioned the Arcadia Lithium processing plant, owned by a Chinese company, one of the world’s biggest metal producers, Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt’s Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe. The plant will be the biggest hard rock lithium processing plant in Africa. The Tsingshan holdings iron and steel plant in Manhize is set to be Africa’s biggest integrated steel plant,” noted Professor Murwira.
Over the years, China has become one of Zimbabwe’s largest trading partners, with trade figures exceeding US2,5 billion last year.
