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Mukudzei Chingwere

Herald Reporter

Amid concerted efforts to throw spanners in the works through malicious media onslaught against China, improving the livelihoods of communities they operate in remains requisite to Chinese businesspeople operating in Zimbabwe as they continue giving back to societies that have supported their ventures over the years.

Corporate social responsibility comes in many ways, as it is premised on win-win outcomes, with the common good being the ultimate winner, a crucial tenet in Zimbabwe-China relations dating back to the liberation struggle.

In its latest futuristic endeavour to gift communities in their locales of operation, a consortium of 16 Chinese companies has embarked on a massive tree-planting project, which has seen more than 3 000 trees being planted along Airport Road, in Harare.   

This comes as the globe, Zimbabwe included, has been grappling with climate-change, leading to unpredictable rainfall patterns and disruptions of the usual balance of nature.

Reforestation is an integral aspect on the country’s calendar as the first Saturday of December each year is set aside as Zimbabwe National Tree-Planting Day, not only as a way of motivating citizens to plant and conserve trees, but to also enlighten them on the importance of forests in the enhancement of biodiversity and ensuring household food security.

The message has always been that trees are life.

This is what makes the intervention by the Chinese business community, through tree-planting, pertinent as a gift of life for posterity. It goes beyond the here and now, to also factor in the future as a lived experience.

Having initially started with palm trees, and later on moving to acacia trees after realising that the former were prone to wanton destruction, the consortium has so far planted more than 3 000 plants, which are now being maintained routinely.

China-Africa Economic and Culture Exchange and Research Centre chairman, Mr Steve Zhao, whose firm is also one of the 16 participating companies in the tree-planting project, said the site, Airport Road, makes it all the more significant.

“Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport is the gateway into Zimbabwe,” said Mr Zhao, adding, “It has to be as beautiful as possible to reflect the beauty of the country.”   

He said the project started in 2019 with 1 000 trees planted in the first phase.

“The initial project was 3 000 palm trees, and we were continuously adding more trees as well as routinely maintaining the road,” Mr Zhao said.

“The palm trees were being destroyed, and now we have started planting acacia trees. 

“The response is good. They are not being destroyed.”

He said Jinan, also part of the consortium, has stood tall in supporting the implementation of the project, saying they were looking at spreading it to other towns.

Mr Zhao said although most businesses were struggling financially owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has negatively impacted on global economies, Jinan continued to monetarily fund the project to keep it afoot.  

He pointed out that the drive behind the initiative was the environmental factor, since “every country is now talking of climate change.”

“We feel we need to do something,” said Mr Zhao. “We are working with the Government in the implementation of this project.”

He said they were planning to move to other towns, like Bulawayo and Victoria Falls, to plant trees along roads leading to airports in the respective cities.

Zimbabwe and China enjoy excellent bilateral relations. And, under the Second Republic, the Government has made its intentions clear pertaining to economic ties with the international community through creation of an environment that takes everyone on board as a friend.

Since the Asian powerhouse is one of the world’s biggest economies, interest shown by companies of Chinese origin to do business in Zimbabwe is a sign that big capital is taking a keen interest in the awakening local economy, which is being primed towards an upper-middle income status by 2030.

President Mnangagwa has personally been at the forefront of that investment drive aimed at unlocking the full potential of the economy for the benefit of the citizenry through his “Zimbabwe is Open for Business” mantra.