ZIMBABWE NETZWERK e.V.

China and Zimbabwe's all-weather friendship

Ian Scoones writes in African Arguments: " At the end of last year, China's President Xi Jinping dropped in to Harare en route to the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in South Africa where he pledged $60bn for African development. The road to Harare airport was adorned with huge posters welcoming Zimbabwe's "all-weather friend". The Chinese delegation included around 200 officials, all keen to consolidate the long-standing relationship between the two countries. There was much hype in the local press ahead of this visit. Was China going to bail out Zimbabwe, with the government's Look East policy finally paying off? Was the Chinese president, ahead of the ruling ZANU-PF Congress, going to help with the succession issue by publicly backing Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who has long ties with China? Was this going to be a turning point for Zimbabwe's politics and economy? The answer to all these questions was, in short, no. As with many other engagements with China over the past few years, the heady expectations were not matched by the more pragmatic reality. ...".