Mnangagwa commends China’s role in Zimbabwe’s infrastructure development

By Xinhua

President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Wednesday highlighted the African country’s growing partnership with China, particularly noting joint efforts in infrastructure development including the China-constructed airport terminal in the country.

Mnangagwa arrived in Beijing on Monday to attend the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), running from Wednesday to Friday, and to pay a state visit to China.

In an exclusive interview with China Media Group (CMG), Mnangagwa expressed his desire to elevate the China-Zimbabwe relationship as they approach the 45th anniversary of diplomatic ties next year.

“Our relations between Zimbabwe and China are at a level of comprehensive partnership and relations,” he said.

“We must lift this to a higher level between the two countries. In the years we have built diplomatic relations, our cooperation has deepened comprehensively. Look at any aspect of the economy or society. We are cooperating in education, we are cooperating in infrastructure.

“Today, if you look at the infrastructure in Zimbabwe, you see the footprint of our relations with China. Our new international airport in Harare in Zimbabwe. I believe it’s the best international airport in our region.”

“And we continue to deepen that relationship and we support each other at regional and international forums. We know that whatever position I take or any issue, China will support. Whatever China takes, Zimbabwe will support the Chinese position. Because we are one in terms of our domestic and foreign policy challenges,” he added.

Mnangagwa praised China’s contribution to Zimbabwe’s infrastructure, highlighting the China-constructed terminal at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, the country’s busiest airport.

“Last month in August we held the SADC Summit of heads of state in Harare. [In] person, each head of state found occasion to have a chat with me and say, my brother, your new airport, the facilities that are there, just the rooms which are there now.

“It is so devastating in terms of beauty, so each head of state when they came for the summit when I first had one to one chat, each individual commended one or two things about what they saw,” he said.

The Zimbabwean president also attended the delivery ceremony for the airport terminal, where he commended China for its support.

China was the first country outside Africa that Mnangagwa visited when he took office in 2018. He emphasized the historical cooperation between Zimbabwe and China and acknowledged China’s significant impact on African development.

“To be honest, I don’t know of any African country where China is not impacted the development of that particular country. My view is that most of us on the African continent in our development, you can recognize the impact of cooperation with China.

“I had met yesterday with his excellency President Xi Jinping here and I informed him a list of infrastructure development supported by China in our transformation in the infrastructure development in our country. We went through all that. So you can see that there is historical cooperation between Zimbabwe and China,” said the president.

Boasting a long-standing friendship, China and Zimbabwe have maintained mutual trust since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1980. In 2018, the two countries upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation.