President lauds Xi on cordial Sino-Africa ties

PRESIDENT Mugabe has praised China for maintaining friendly relations with Africa and the developing world at large, as well as for providing assistance to the continent.

In an interview with Chinese media on Wednesday, President Mugabe said he was glad to see that China had prioritised relations with African countries for decades and shared its development achievements with them.

He said Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Africa in 2015 was a major highlight in bilateral relations.

In December 2015, the Chinese president paid state visits to Zimbabwe and South Africa, and co-chaired a summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Johannesburg, where he and African leaders adopted a package of programmes aimed at strengthening China-Africa cooperation and supporting Africa’s development.

Recalling President Xi’s visit, the Head of State and Government said Zimbabweans knew they were not just hosting an individual who happened to be the head of China’s ruling party, but one who was carrying a blueprint for development with him from China to Africa and Zimbabwe.

“He was carrying with him what we regard as a real blueprint for development as being assisted by China,” he said.

In Johannesburg, President Xi pledged US$60 billion in funding to ensure the implementation of an action plan for China-Africa cooperation which covers a wide range of areas, including agricultural modernisation, infrastructure, financial services, public health, peace and security.

“So the Chinese are sharing their own development, the results of their own socio-economic endeavours with us,” he said, pointing out that China had assisted Zimbabwe in averting humanitarian crises caused by hunger.

President Mugabe acknowledged the assistance China was providing to Africa through the FOCAC, adding that President Xi had come with more assistance for Zimbabwe to develop and help its people through resources which are now at its disposal.

He also said that Zimbabwe cherishes its traditional friendship with China, which was forged during the fight against imperialism and colonialism.

“The independence, the sovereignty we enjoy would not have come that easily were it not for China,” he said.

“It’s vital for our children to know as they grow up that once upon a time, when imperialism had stretched over our land, we outdid it, (and) threw it out of Africa using the assistance that came from China,” he added.