Xi, South Africa’s Zuma hold joint press conference

Some immigration signs at Zimbabwe’s main worldwide airport are in Chinese, a sign of China’s deep economic inroads in Africa, which Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit this week. “So it’s quite an important state visit”.

Xi’s visit can boost the Chinese Dream and Zimbabwe’s dream for corresponding national revivals.

The Second FOCAC Summit is expected to consolidate these gains and further reconstruct global affairs by exploring new models and approaches towards a more equitable and inclusive system that promotes sustainable socio-economic development.

Apart from deals signed yesterday, China has provided credit worth millions of dollars to fund several capital projects in the country, including the expansion of the Kariba South power station, upgrading of the Harare’s water and sanitation works and the expansion of the Victoria Falls International Airport.

Today China is Zimbabwe’s top source of foreign investment and has helped the country with a number of infrastructure projects. One such event was a round-table meeting, jointly hosted by Independent Media and China Public Diplomacy Association. “But you still have to pay for it and it will lead Zimbabwe deeper into a debt crisis”, Antony Hawkins, economics professor at University of Zimbabwe’s Graduate School of Management said, referring to Xi.

Xi is scheduled to arrive today in Zimbabwe before heading on Wednesday to South Africa.

“Many Chinese businesspeople… will interact with their local counterparts leading to more Chinese investment or joint ventures and business benefits to Zimbabwe”. He said Zimbabwe was seeking financial support from the Chinese to convert the country’s vast natural resources into wealth.

A statement by the worldwide relations department this week said total trade between South Africa and China grew from R118 billion in 2009 to R271 billion by the end of 2013.

This year President Xi announced US$ 100 million of free Chinese military aid to the AU to support the building of the African Standby Force and the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crisis, which are tasked with maintaining stability on the continent.

The Summit will also review the implementation of various agreements signed since 2006, and outline the course of action for development of China-Africa relations over the next few years.

For years, the consolidation of Sino-African relations has been the cornerstone of China’s diplomacy; never forgetting African brothers reflects the Chinese people’s faith over never forgetting about its past sufferings.

Xi and a large Chinese delegation fly on to Johannesburg on Wednesday ahead of the sixth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which will gather leaders from across the continent.

Despite a recent drop in Chinese investment in Africa – which fell 40 percent in the first half of 2015 as Chinese demand cooled – it still remains Africa’s largest trading partner.