Chinese president in South Africa to discuss trade

(AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi). The hand of Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, holds the hand of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, upon his arrival in Harare, Zimbabwe, Tuesday, Dec. 1.

Ahead of a state visit to South Africa, the Chinese president suggested both sides should always advance the bilateral relationship from a strategic and long-term perspective and continuously cement and enhance political mutual trust. Beijing hosted a full China-Africa Summit in 2006.

With enthusiastic people singing and dancing, surrounded by local children carrying garlands and bouquets, Chinese guests felt much appreciation to arrive at the hot and shining continent.

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.

“It is only in the past six or seven years that we have started economic relationship and as we speak, the Chinese investors are becoming quite strong in terms of their investments in Zimbabwe”.

“As for whether China will continue to provide support and aid, there will be no doubt about it”, Zhang said, without divulging details on the aid amount and its goal.

China also offered to fund the construction of a new parliament building and pledged to donate equipment for the protection of wildlife.

One South African cabinet minister said that bilateral deals were expected to be agreed during Wednesday’s meeting between Xi and Zuma, and the government issued a statement saying that the trade imbalance was one of the issues to be discussed.

“We are convinced that the upcoming summit will promote South-South cooperation, encourage North-South dialogue, and help move the worldwide governance system towards greater equity and fairness”, Xi said.

“There are also three other power projects which are going to be funded by the Chinese and these are private sector-driven; they’re Makomo Resources, China Sunlight and Lusulu – each of them adding 600MW to the grid”.

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.

“However, it is also our duty to tell the good story that would help change the negative narrative to an Africa that is a land of opportunities and potential”, he said. Hwange Power Station expansion project would see the power station adding two more units to give a combined generation capacity of 600 megawatts (MW) by 2018, a development that would ease power outages.

“We did a study on the Chinese investment in Africa and China, including China in Zimbabwe on what it has brought to the population and the study does not indicate any benefit except that Chinese have brought unfavorable working conditions”. President Xi who was accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Mumbengegwi, was welcomed by Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services Minister Supa Mandiwanzira and Deputy Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry Cde Anastacia Ndlovu.