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An unshakeable friendship with little to show for it
ZimOnline
November 08, 2006

http://www.zimonline.co.za/Article.aspx?ArticleId=422

HARARE – China’s leader this week said his country’s relations with Zimbabwe were "unshakeable" but analysts see little benefits to the embattled southern African nation arguing that the Asian giant only sought access to markets and raw materials for its booming economy.

President Hu Jintao met Zimbabwe’s veteran leader Robert Mugabe in Beijing on Monday were he affirmed China’s friendship with the former British colony, which has been isolated by Western powers over charges of rigging elections and alleged human rights violations.

"Developing friendly relations between China and Zimbabwe is an unshakeable policy," Hu was quoted as saying after meeting Mugabe.

Hu said he wanted to develop "agriculture, telecommunications and infrastructure" ties with Zimbabwe.

But analysts are sceptical over China’s intentions noting that although relations with the Asian country stretch back a long way, Zimbabwe has nothing to show for it.

"It is understandable that with frosty relations with the West, Zimbabwe seeks alternative economic partners but the big question is what have we benefited or what will we benefit from them," James Jowa, a Harare-based economist said.

"To date there is very little to point to, which we can really say this is a benefit from our strong ties with China," he added.

The analysts say China is seeking a foothold in Zimbabwe’s key mining sector, particularly to mine the African country’s huge platinum and uranium deposits Beijing needs to keep fuelling its rapidly expanding economy.

China, which is looking increasingly to Africa for raw materials to fuel its economic boom, has been paying particular attention to Zimbabwe, selling Mugabe's government fighter aircraft and agreeing to a number of business deals.

China’s critics say the country has cast a blind eye to Mugabe’s human rights record in its bid to gain access to raw materials.

Mugabe’s government, which describes Beijing as an "all-weather friend", has in the past signed dozens of memoranda of understanding but very few have yielded tangible results.

The only visibly successful deals are those where Zimbabwe is given small loans to import goods from China.

Analysts say Zimbabwe needs foreign direct investment as it does not have capacity to repay foreign lenders.

They pointed to the national army which recently said it had fallen behind in its loan repayment for trainer jets supplied by China last year.

"When you look around us in the region that is countries like Angola, Mozambique and Zambia the Chinese have invested heavily there," Eldred Masunungure, chairman of the University of Zimbabwe’s political science department said.

"When one compares that with Zimbabwe, there is a feeling that China does not see us a strategic economic partner but rather a market for its products or a source of raw materials," Masunungure added.

But Mugabe’s government believes the Chinese are beginning to come through with help and have referred to a US$200 million agro-facility deal secured by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe recently. This was Zimbabwe’s largest foreign loan in years.

Critics say President Robert Mugabe has plunged Zimbabwe into disaster with controversial policies that have led to an eight-year economic recession and isolated his government from former Western donors, prompting it to scramble for aid from the East.

The crisis has left Zimbabwe with severe foreign currency shortages and the world's highest inflation rate at more than 1,000 percent, keeping the local dollar a pariah on international markets.

Mugabe has cultivated relations with Asian countries as part of a so-called "Look-East" policy since many western countries imposed sanctions on his government four years ago.

It was not immediately clear whether Zimbabwe signed any deals during the weekend Africa-China summit which saw China signing US$1.9-billion in trade deals. China also promised aid and debt relief to African countries and increased trade with the world’s poorest continent in the coming years. - ZimOnline

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