Uncertain future
Troops patrol a street in Harare, Zimbabwe on Wednesday. Zimbabwe’s army said it has President Robert Mugabe and his wife in custody and is securing government offices and patrolling the capital’s streets following a night of unrest
Sino-Zimbabwean trade ties could be affected by the ongoing political turmoil in the African country’s capital, but in the long run, the friendly relations will not change, said Chinese experts.
Several loud explosions were heard early Wednesday morning in Harare. The Zimbabwe’s military appears to have taken control of state institutions, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Turmoil erupted after Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe last week fired Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa for alleged disloyalty and deceit, Xinhua reported.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a daily press briefing on Wednesday that as Zimbabwe’s friend, China is closely following the situation in Zimbabwe.
Geng also dismissed rumors that Mnangagwa has fled to China.
The political turmoil will not have a huge impact on Sino-Zimbabwean relations, as there is no “anti-China” clique inside the African country, Shen Xiaolei, an assistant research fellow at the Institute of West Asian and African Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.
The potential president successor, Mnangagwa has visited China several times, and he will not turn his back on China just because Mugabe adopts a friendly China policy, Shen said.
Shen added that the current turmoil will impact Chinese businesses in the country, but the country’s friendly attitude toward China will remain the same in the long run.
A Harare-based manager at a Chinese power engineering company, who requested anonymity, told the Global Times that the situation in the African country appears stable, and there is no sign of military conflict. He added that the turmoil has had an effect on local Chinese companies. Some negotiations on Chinese company-involved projects have been suspended and personnel arrangements and operations have been affected.
There is no indication of how much will be lost from the turmoil as of press time. But it would only be minor, if any, he explained.
The Chinese Embassy in Zimbabwe issued a statement on Wednesday, urging Chinese citizens in Zimbabwe to stay safe.
A Chinese employee who worked in Africa for many years said there are about 10,000 Chinese citizens in Zimbabwe. Many State-owned enterprises are engaged in road and airport construction projects, while private firms are engaged in mining, textiles and chemicals, he said.
China is one of Zimbabwe’s biggest trade partner at $1.12 billion in 2016, according to data from the China’s foreign ministry.