Negative media won’t deter us: Chinese business
CHINESE business people operating in Zimbabwe will persist with projects in the country despite a deliberate media onslaught to besmirch their operations, the Chamber of Chinese Enterprises in Zimbabwe (CCEZ) has said.
CCEZ is an association that brings together 85 Chinese State-owned and private companies operating in Zimbabwe and has a combined labour force of over 100 000 Zimbabweans.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail, CCEZ vice chairperson and publicity secretary Mrs Shanel Liu said they have been diligently working towards the revival of Zimbabwe’s economy and continue to invest in national projects that directly benefit the people of Zimbabwe.
“I must say that the business environment in Zimbabwe has improved greatly, thanks to the Government’s efforts in opening up the economy. Our greatest challenge as an association has been the proliferation of negative publicity that has been systematically thrown at us of late. The media onslaught appears to be international and we are deeply concerned about that.”
She said their companies were present and active in various sectors of Zimbabwe’s economy including agriculture, mining, construction, manufacturing and telecommunications.
“We have our presence in the tobacco industry, the refurbishment of Kariba Hydro Power Station and upgrading of Hwange Power Station, the Robert Mugabe International Airport expansion to mention, but a few.
“We have created employment for the local community and increased tax revenue flowing to central Government. On the other hand, our member companies in their individual capacities continue being actively involved in charity work and social responsibility programmes in Zimbabwe,” Mrs Shanel said.
Chinese companies under CCEZ have been involved in various Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives in areas they operate. As a result of these initiatives, over 100 sponsored Zimbabwean students have graduated under the Zimbabwe Presidential Scholarship programme on full scholarships backed by the Qingdao Zhongcheng Group over the past two years.