Online Reporter
Hebert Zharare recently in BEIJING, China
ZIMBABWE and China’s co-operation in the areas of media, communication and other key economic sectors continues to strengthen as the two friendly nations forge ahead with mutually beneficial bilateral relations.
The Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Dr Zhemu Soda, led 29 media professionals to Beijing, China, on an educational tour from May 05 to 21, which many participants have described as an eye-opener.
The hugely successful country, in nearly different facets of life — from tourism, financial markets, mining, manufacturing and state-of-the-art infrastructure such as skyscrapers and meticulously designed interchanges, to efficient logistical systems across mega cities linking to the outside world — is arguably a global leader.
Vehicles in China use both electric and fossil energy with a bias towards the former.
Indeed, China is leading an EV revolution that has also seen the proliferation of heavy trucks, buses and earthmoving equipment that use 100 percent clean energy.
The rich history of the Chinese people is captivating, and there is no doubt this history has helped mould a resilient, disciplined, hardworking and development-focused nation admired by many.
There is nothing that can stop Zimbabwe from taking China’s development route because the resource-rich Southern African country has what it takes to spearhead development of such magnitude.
According to the Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Zhou Ding, the country has “the resources and educated people” to spearhead such development.
China, which has a population of 1.450 billion, with education and the focused leadership of President Xi Jinping, has done the nearly impossible, creating a US$20 trillion real gross domestic product economy, reclaiming some deserts into green lands, creating new cities, removing millions from poverty and rescuing multitudes from hunger.
The Asian giant has managed to sustain a 5 percent real year-on-year economic growth despite global trade pressures and the knock-on effects of the devastating Covid-19 pandemic.
However, according to respected Chinese academic Professor Bu Xu, who also delivered a lecture during the seminar for Zimbabwe media professionals, China does not call itself a developed nation, even though countries such as America acknowledge that the Asian giant is now a major economic powerhouse.
The seminar was organised by the Academy for International Business Officials (AIBO) under the Ministry of Commerce.
A country is classified as developed based on a combination of high economic output, high standards of living for its nationals and advanced social metrics.
Key factors and benchmarks used to determine developed country status include Gross National Income (GNI) per capita, which, according to the World Bank, should exceed US$14 005.
China has also achieved a top rank on the Human Development Index (HDI), created by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which evaluates three key pillars of human well-being that include: (1) a long and healthy life, (2) sustainable knowledge systems and (3) a decent standard of living based on GNI per capita.
Developed nations have well-established industrial and technology sectors, but their economies are heavily dominated by the tertiary and quaternary sectors rather than agriculture or basic manufacturing.
However, China has developed advanced physical infrastructure, including widespread transportation networks such as bullet trains, eco-friendly public buses, taxis and reliable electricity grids, as well as high-speed communications, alongside strong governance, stable legal frameworks, high-tech agricultural systems and widespread access to sustainable education and state-of-the-art medical care.
China has been able to eradicate hunger and is a major producer of crops such as rice, wheat, corn (maize), potatoes, tea, cotton, peanuts and a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.
The Asian giant is the world’s leading manufacturer, producing more industrial goods than any other nation. Its major industrial outputs include electronics, electrical machinery, automobiles (including EVs), semiconductors, steel, shipbuilding, solar panels and consumer goods. China is home to some of the largest, most complex and visually striking road interchanges in the world.
Driven by rapid urbanisation and challenging mountainous terrain, engineers have designed massive multi-level structures, earning several of them the nickname “spaghetti junctions”.
And China, whose philosophy is respect for national sovereignty and integrity of other countries, rich or poor, is willing to share its development trajectory, as witnessed by its recent implementation of the zero-tariff policy for products from 53 African countries.
