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Herald Reporter
PRIME Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, who will be going on a week-long visit to China, will be travelling with a 31-member delegation.
He is scheduled to leave on Saturday, returning on June 2.
The delegation comprises seven personal aides and his new wife Elizabeth.
The PM, whose party has been accusing Zanu-PF leaders of extravagance on foreign trips, is also travelling with seven directors from his office.
Members of the delegation also include State Enterprises Minister Gorden Moyo, Water Resources Management Minister Sam Sipepa Nkomo, secretary to the Prime Minister Mr Ian Makone and the PM’s spokesperson, Mr Luke Tamborinyoka.
The PM has also roped in Mr John Chimanikire from MBCA Bank in his trip as a legal advisor.
It is understood that during his stay in China, the PM has requested a meeting with officials from Eximbank of China, CAMC Engineering Company (Private), Sinohydro and Sinosure, among others. “The Prime Minister’s Office also requested that appointments be made for two ministers (Nkomo and Moyo) to hold
meetings with their Chinese counterparts, preferably during the Prime Minister’s sightseeing tour of Beijing on May 29 2012,” reads part of the letter obtained by The Herald yesterday.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Ambassador Joey Bimha wrote the letter to Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to China, Cde Frederick Shava. The PM’s delegation does not have Zanu-PF officials.
According to the itinerary of the trip, the PM arrives in Beijing on May 27 and will have a meeting with the Chinese Premier, Wen Jiabao, before attending the official ceremony of CIFTIS.
The following day, he will visit the Great Wall, Forbidden City and Summer Palace. On May 30, PM Tsvangirai will leave Beijing for Shanghai, where he will go on another sightseeing before attending a Zimbabwe Investment Promotion meeting.
The PM and his delegation will have another sightseeing in Shenzhen on June 2 before leaving for Hong Kong en route to Harare.
PM Tsvangirai is visiting China at a time when Zimbabwe has intensified its Look East Policy initiated by President Mugabe at the turn of the millennium.
Zimbabwe adopted the policy after some Western countries imposed illegal sanctions against the country.
MDC-T has always been disapproving of the Government’s Look East Policy, insisting nothing meaningful was coming out of it.
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