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Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Lin Lin

Remarks by H.E Ambassador Lin Lin at the ground breaking ceremony of Kariba South Power Station Extension Project, September 4, 2014.
His Excellency President Robert Gabriel Mugabe,
Honourable Minister of Energy Mr Dzikamai Mavhaire,
Senior Minister of State, Mr Simon Khaya Moyo
Dr H. Murerwa, Chairperson of Zesa Holdings
Mr Liang Jun, General Manager of Sinohydro Corporation Limited,
Comrades and Friends,
Distinguished Guests,
Masikati (Good afternoon!)

It is my great honour and pleasure to attend today’s ground breaking ceremony of Kariba South Power Station Extension Project. I believe that this project, with the financial support from the Chinese side, truly reflects China-Zimbabwe friendship and cooperation.

Last November, the Exim Bank of China and the Ministry of Finance of Zimbabwe signed an agreement, through which the Chinese side will provide a Preferential Buyer’s Credit Loan of $319 million to finance the Kariba South Power Station Extension Project. Two power generating units with a total capacity of 300 megawatts will be built, together with supporting infrastructure such as tunnels and roads. This is a good initiative for increasing Zimbabwe’s power supply capacity, and will partly relieve the power deficits in Zimbabwe.

The contractor of this project, Sinohydro is a reputable and experienced Chinese enterprise. I believe that the experts and technicians from both China and Zimbabwe will make joint efforts to achieve a high-quality project within the construction period, and bring tangible benefits to Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwean people.

Comrades and Friends, China and Zimbabwe are all weather friends. Our traditional friendship was forged during the two countries’ glorious days of fighting together against imperialism, colonialism and hegemony. Over the 34 years since the establishment of the diplomatic ties, the two sides have understood and supported each other on issues regarding both countries’ core interests and major concern, and have helped each other in our development progress. The traditional China-Zimbabwe friendship is the common treasure of the two countries, which we both cherish.

At present, China and Zimbabwe are both at an important stage of national construction, which has brought many new opportunities for the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries. Zimbabwe ranked first in Africa to attract Chinese Foreign Direct Investment in 2013, which reached $602 million and covered a wide range of areas including agriculture, manufacturing, construction, mining, tourism and so on. The trade volume in 2013 surpassed $1.1 billion, almost doubling that of 2010. I am very proud to say that the Chinese investors, enterprises and local communities at large are all committed to the great undertaking of Zimbabwe’s economic recovery and social development.

Just a few days ago, His Excellency President Mugabe concluded his State Visit to China, which is quite successful and fruitful in promoting both political mutual trust and pragmatic economic and technological cooperation between two countries in many fields. It marks a new start for our bilateral relations.

During this visit, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that China is ready to work together with Zimbabwe to carry forward our traditional friendship, strengthen cooperation in various fields, and continue to be good friends, good partners and good brothers with equal treatment, mutual support, mutual benefit, win-win results and common development. Indeed, China and Zimbabwe share similar historical background, enjoy profound traditional friendship, and face the common task of social and economic development and improvement of people’s livelihood. China is ready to work together with Zimbabwe to push forward the comprehensive and in-depth development of the bilateral relations, and to further benefit the peoples of both countries.

As President Xi put it, Chinese will continue to stick to principles, uphold justice, and firmly support Zimbabwe in safeguarding its national sovereignty, security and interests of development. The two sides should maintain high-level exchanges and enhance inter-party contact. We should strengthen the exchanges of experience in state governance and administration as well as in reform and opening-up.

China will continue to cultivate construction talents for Zimbabwe, discuss with Zimbabwe the cooperation pattern and financing channel of reciprocity and mutual benefit, and transfer applicable agricultural technologies to help Zimbabwe increase its agricultural output and income. China is ready to take part in the construction of Zimbabwe’s special economic zones and industrial parks, lead the cooperation in infrastructure construction, mining industry, manufacturing industry and other fields, and encourage more Chinese companies to invest in Zimbabwe. I hope that China and Zimbabwe will work together to implement the outcome of the state visit, advance our bilateral relations in all fields, unlock the even greater potentials in our bilateral cooperation and lift the bilateral relationship to a new height.

Again, I wish the Kariba South Power Station Extension Project a great success.

Thank you. Tatenda!