President Xi leaves for SA

Speaking at a banquet hosted for the Chinese leader and his delegation last night, shortly after signing several agreements among them a $1.4 billion deal for upgrading the Hwange Thermal Power station, Mr. Mugabe said he was excited significant progress had been made in the implementation of projects agreed between China and Zimbabwe.

In building security ties with African leaders, China’s also cultivating a base of global diplomatic support, said David Shinn, who teaches African affairs at George Washington University.

South Africa and China signed agreements worth R94 billion, shortly after Chinese president Xi Jinping arrived for a state visit in Pretoria, President Jacob Zuma said on Wednesday.

Representatives from 120 media organizations in 47 African countries and some Chinese media participated in the summit, whose theme was “A new era of win-win media cooperation between China and Africa”.

South African state owned enterprises including Eskom, Transnet, the Industrial Development Corporation, SA National Space Agency and the SA Nuclear Corporation also signed deals with Chinese institutions.

Xi touched down at Harare International Airport escorted by two fighter jets and two helicopters while schoolchildren and activists from Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party lined the streets to the airport.

China has been one of Zimbabwe’s biggest supporters.

Cabinet ministers said the government is hoping for increased economic and trade cooperation with China in the wake of Xi’s visit.

“China and Zimbabwe, in spite of the vast distance between them, have maintained a traditional friendship that is deep and firm”, Xi said in an article in the Herald.

Xi comes to South Africa after a daylong visit to neighboring Zimbabwe, where he met with his counterpart, President Robert Mugabe.

The Republic of Congo, Angola and Mauritania are African nations most exposed to China’s slowdown because nearly half of their exports go to the Asian nation, according to data from the International Monetary Fund. Oil accounts for the bulk of exports from Congo and Angola, while iron ore makes up more than 40 percent of Mauritania’s exports.

“We also invite our Chinese friends to partner with us in championing development in the continent through new business ventures, infrastructure development, media capacity development and many other areas of mutual interest”.

Mr Xi heads to Johannesburg today, ahead of the two-day Forum on China-Africa Cooperation on Friday.

Statistics from the Zimbabwe Investment Authority revealed that in 2014 China contributed over $200 million of Zimbabwe’s total FDI of $543 million.

Patrick Chinamasa, Zimbabwe’s minister of finance and economic development, said infrastructure remains the fundamental challenge to unleashing the country’s potential.