Briefing on Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi’s Visit to Zimbabwe in February, 2015

President MugabeFrom February 8 to 10, 2015, Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi paid a visit to Zimbabwe, during which he held talks with President Robert Mugabe and Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko respectively, attended the welcome dinner hosted by VP Mphoko, as well as meeting with the Chinese and Zimbabwean journalists at the State House after his meeting with President Mugabe.

Chinese Ambassador Mr. Lin Lin, Vice Foreign Minister Mr. Zhang Ming, Vice Minister of Commerce Mr. Fang Aiqing and Mr. Kong Quan, Vice Minister of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Directorate of the CPC Central Committee accompanied Yang Jiechi throughout the visit.

This visit is another important high-level exchange between China and Zimbabwe after President Mugabe’s State Visit to China last August.

The main purpose of this visit is to promote the implementation of the picture for China-Zimbabwe relations jointly blueprinted by President Xi Jinping and President Mugabe, and to discuss and connect specific measures with Zimbabwe for comprehensively deepening bilateral friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation. The two sides also exchanged views on the international and regional issues of common interest.

VP MphokoThis successful visit has further strengthened the political mutual trust between China and Zimbabwe, and pointed out the directions for the bilateral pragmatic cooperation in various areas.

During his meeting with President Mugabe, Yang Jiechi conveyed kind greetings from President Xi Jinping to President Mugabe and handed over a birthday congratulatory letter signed by President Xi Jinping personally to President Mugabe.

Yang Jiechi said that China and Zimbabwe are good partners, good friends and good brothers enjoying profound friendship. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

China is willing to work with Zimbabwe to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state on comprehensively deepening China-Zimbabwe friendly and cooperative relations, translate the bilateral traditional friendship into the driving force for the development of bilateral cooperation, and forge China-Zimbabwe relationship into a model of equality, mutual trust, mutual support, cooperation for win-win results, and common development.

Yang Jiechi congratulated President Mugabe on his election as the new rotating Chairman of the African Union, and expressed his hope that Zimbabwe could continue to bring its own advantages and influences into full play to make new and greater contributions to promote the unity and self-improvement in Africa and to push China-Africa friendly cooperation.

President Mugabe asked Yang Jiechi to convey his kind greetings and sincere gratitude to President Xi Jinping. He said that the Zimbabwean government and people are grateful to China for its support and assistance to Zimbabwe’s economic and social development.

The profound traditional friendship between the two nations should be inherited and carried forward in a continuous manner. Zimbabwe stands ready to work with China to comprehensively deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields. China is friend of Africa and Zimbabwe will constantly and actively push forward the development of Africa-China relationship.

VP Mphoko 2Yang Jiechi and VP Mphoko made in-depth exchanges of views on further intensifying friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields between China and Zimbabwe and reached broad consensus during their talks.

Yang Jiechi said that China-Zimbabwe brotherhood has withstood the test of international vicissitudes and become even stronger as time goes by, and bilateral cooperation in all fields is yielding fruitful results.

Yang Jiechi pointed out that with the joint efforts of both sides, the outcome of President Mugabe’s visit to China last August is under smooth implementation.

At present, Zimbabwe is committed to implementing the Zim-Asset, while China is comprehensively transforming its economy and upgrading its industries.

Therefore, bilateral cooperation embraces an important opportunity with a broad prospect. Both sides should maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges, enhance mutual political trust and communication on governance and administration of state affairs, and continue offering mutual support on issues regarding each other’s core interests and major concerns.

Both sides should expand mutually beneficial cooperation, strengthen the synergy of bilateral development strategies, and actively carry out mutually beneficial cooperation in such sectors as agriculture, mining, processing, manufacturing, energy, infrastructure, finance, and human resource development.

It is hoped that Zimbabwe could provide a sound investment environment for Chinese enterprises. Both sides should expand people-to-people and cultural exchanges, facilitate tourism cooperation, intensify mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples. Both sides should boost cooperation and coordination in regional and international affairs and safeguard the common interests of vast developing countries including those in Africa. Yang Jiechi also invited VP Mphoko to visit China at the earliest convenient time.

VP Mphoko said that Zimbabwe and China have supported and helped each other as early as Zimbabwe’s struggles for national liberation. Zimbabwe is grateful for China’s long-term support for its economic development, attaches great importance to its friendly relations with China and will work with China to push bilateral relations to new highs.

Zimbabwe hopes to, together with China, maintain high-level exchanges and continue deepening practical cooperation in such areas as agriculture, mining, manufacturing, electric power, transportation, tourism and personnel training, thus to boost the industrial development and enhance added value of the products in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe will learn from China’s development experience, establish special economic zones and industrial parks and welcome more Chinese enterprises to invest and establish business in the country. Zimbabwe will stick to the One China policy and continue intensifying coordination and cooperation with China in international affairs.

While meeting with journalists, Yang Jiechi summarized China-Africa relations as the “three models”, namely model of equality and mutual trust, model of cooperation for win-win result as well as model of solidarity and coordination. Yang Jiechi noted that this year marks the 15th anniversary of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), and the sixth Ministerial Conference of the FOCAC will be held in South Africa.

He said that China will earnestly implement the Africa policy featuring sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith, and the correct viewpoint of righteousness and benefit put forward by President Xi Jinping.

China will take the preparations for this Ministerial Conference as an opportunity to work with Africa to blueprint the China-Africa cooperation in various fields in the next three years, so as to push forward China-Africa relationship for more fruitful results.

Yang Jiechi noticed that the 24th AU Summit held at the end of last month examined and approved “Agenda 2063”, which draws the blueprint for the development of Africa in the next 50 years. He believed that a strong AU and a united Africa are conducive to improving the international status and influence of the whole Africa, enhancing the strength of developing countries, and promoting a more balanced and stable world. – Embassy of the People’s Republic of China.

 

You Might Also Like

Comments

Take our Survey

We value your opinion! Take a moment to complete our survey