Mnangagwa describes state visit to China as resounding success

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa said his recent state visit to China had been a resounding success and that he expects his country to have more cooperation with China in the future.

He said this during an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) in Beijing on Thursday.

“It has been a resounding success. I had a very long discussion with His Excellency, the president of the People’s Republic of China, His Excellency Xi Jinping and we covered an array of issues, both political, economic, regional and international. And I’m so happy with the chemistry that has developed between us,” said Mnangagwa.

Mnangagwa also talked about his country’s economic plans. He said that Zimbabwe has enjoyed excellent economic relations with China and that he expects to see closer partnership in various fields in the future.

“With regard to specifically to the People’s Republic of China, I’m happy that I am here. In the areas that I raised, it could be in the area of agriculture, in the area of mining, in the area of infrastructure development, in the area of human development, terms of skills transfer, technological transfer, I’ve received positive response from the People’s Republic of China,” said the president.

Mnangagwa said that Zimbabwe is confident about its friendship with China and that he welcomes China’s investment in his country despite some unpleasant voices about China’s relationship with some African countries.

“China has created the China-Africa relationship, a forum where China related to Africa is a continent. That doesn’t please everybody. It shows that some other powers feel that China is coming into their territory. For them, they feel that their influence will be diminished, but for Africa, we are so happy to have a friend to help us grow our own economies, modernize our own economies, and at the end of the day, also become middle-income countries or perhaps developed countries in the future,” said Mnangagwa.

Reuters