adminRay Bande in Beijing, China
THE United States and her allies in the West are not happy at all with the rapid economic development of the People’s Republic of China, a veteran Chinese academic said. Since 1978, China’s economy has been growing rapidly, surpassing Italy, United Kingdom, Germany and Japan by 2005 to become the second biggest economy by 2010.
In his presentation to 20 Zimbabwean journalists attending a three-week seminar here, the Head of English Studies School at Beijing Foreign Studies University, Professor Sun Youzhong, said it was perplexing that although China still had a number of challenges, the West was still not happy with the economic development that has happened in the Asian country in recent decades.
“It is sad that the rapid development of the Chinese economy has not been good news to the West and we really do not know why they have been so envious.
“The pace at which our economy has developed has taken them aback and it is sad that America and countries in the West have clearly shown their envy and resentment toward the economic development of China,” he said.
Prof Sun’s remarks come at a time when Western countries imposed illegal economic sanctions on Zimbabwe, are threatened by China’s growing business ties with Zimbabwe and other African countries and are making spirited efforts to scuttle the Asian country’s deals through a media onslaught.
While delivering a public lecture at Midlands State University recently, Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Lin Lin told the gathering that Western countries were feeling the heat of China’s mutually beneficial relationship with Zimbabwe and other African countries and were working tirelessly to disrupt his country’s efforts to revive African economies.
“There are some sectors of the Western media that are trying to tarnish China’s image by claiming that we want to siphon resources from Zimbabwe and Africa at large.
“They are the former colonial masters of Africa and they want to break the fabric between China and Africa.
“They have imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe and the country has suffered a lot, particularly the economic sector.
“The West’s illegal sanctions regime is estimated to have cost Zimbabwe over $42 billion in revenue since 2000 in addition to shrinking the economy by a factor of over 40 percent,” he said.
Ambassador Lin said China was not there to siphon resources from Zimbabwe but wanted to partner the country to ensure it revives its economy that was bludgeoned by the illegal sanctions regime for over a decade.
Online Reporter