|
Back to Index
China
and Zimbabwe: Is there a future?
Obert Matahwa
Africa Files At Issue Ezine, China In Africa, (vol. 6, no. 4)
November 2007
http://www.africafiles.org/atissueezine.asp#art1
Download
this document
- Word
version (284KB)
- Acrobat
PDF version (128KB)
If you do not have the free Acrobat reader
on your computer, download it from the Adobe website by clicking
here.
Zimbabwe
and China have relations dating back to the southern African country's
1970s liberation struggle when Beijing provided arms and training
to the black nationalist movement fighting the white minority government
of Ian Smith. The friendship was rekindled when President Robert
Mugabe, shunned by former friends in the West over the political
crisis in his country, adopted a "Look East" policy forging
stronger ties with countries like China, Malaysia, Indonesia and
India.
Battling international
isolation by the West and a creaking economy, Zimbabwe, like other
countries in Africa, has warmed up to China as a possible way out
of its present economic crisis. A number of African countries including
Zimbabwe have gone through structural economic reforms which have
left them with large debts to the International Monetary Fund and
the World Bank. When Mugabe announced his "Look East"
policy in 2003, it was followed by a flurry of loans, memorandums
of understanding and weapons deals. It was supposed to herald a
new alliance: China would gain access to Zimbabwe's mineral
riches - chrome, gold and platinum - while providing Harare with
financial backing that Mugabe hoped would leave the IMF with egg
on its face.
In November
2006, about 50 African heads of state and ministers, including President
Mugabe, were guests of the Chinese in Beijing. More than 2 000 deals
were under discussion at the summit. Mugabe has welcomed the fact
that China pledged to double its aid to Africa by providing US$5
billion. China has said that unlike its Western counterparts, it
has no political agenda.
This encouraged
President Mugabe in his policy of gradually disengaging from countries
in the North, like Britain and the United States, whom he accuses
of harbouring a political agenda against his government. Every time
Mugabe has an opportunity of addressing the nation, he accuses these
two countries in particular of being interested in recolonising
Zimbabwe and installing a government they can manipulate to reverse
the land reform programme that accelerated the economic crisis in
this southern African nation.
Download
full document
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
TOP
|
