Chinese president visits South Africa as part of regional trip to strengthen

Welcomed by a military band and a guard of honor, Chinese President Xi Jinping began a state visit to South Africa on Wednesday, part of China’s effort to strengthen economic ties with Africa.

President Xi is on a two-day State visit to Zimbabwe leading a delegation of 200 people, including Cabinet ministers, bankers and representatives from the Communist Party of China.

Apart from the Hwange deal, a 98 million dollar agreement for a fiber optic project for state owned telecommunications Telone was also signed.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce said last month that the country’s investment in Africa fell by more than 40 percent in the first half of 2015. Since the establishment of FOCAC fifteen years ago, the trade volume between China and Africa has jumped from US$10bn to US$220bn.

President Xi says relations between China and South African are in the “best shape” ever thanks to continued engagement on growth and investment. Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa penned four agreements on behalf of Zimbabwe with the first one being an economic and technical cooperation agreement with China.

China and Zimbabwe are expected to ink a series of cooperation deals covering such fields as infrastructure construction, investment, financing, culture and wildlife protection.

China is Zimbabwe’s top foreign investor, injecting 2.7 billion dollars into the country between 2010 and 2013, according to the Zimbabwe Investment Authority. He’ll then receive a similar reception in South Africa before participating in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Johannesburg on Friday and Saturday – the first such gathering to be held in Africa.

South Africa’s presidency said in a statement that the 26 agreements had taken bilateral cooperation between the two countries to a higher level.

“As all of us know, we have had a long relationship with the People’s Republic of China, dating back to the pre-independence days, but the relationship has largely been diplomatic and political. The summit will not only deepen and upgrade Africa-China relations, but will synergise China-Africa development strategies”, said Executive Chairman of Independent Media, Dr Iqbal Survé.

(AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi). Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe hold hands upon his arrival in Harare, Zimbabwe, Tuesday, Dec. 1.

Seeking raw material to fuel its economy, China has heavily invested in Africa to become the continent’s largest trade partner in 2009. “We will focus on helping African countries build three major systems of industrialisation, food security, as well as public health and disease prevention and control, to resolve three major issues of employment, food supply and health of the African people”, said Wang.

Japhet Moyo, secretary general of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, dismissed Xi’s visit as merely a ‘show.’ He claims Zimbabweans have not benefitted from the economic relations between the two countries.