China to fund more projects

Innocent Ruwende Senior Reporter
China is set to increase its funding and participation in infrastructural projects in Zimbabwe, China’s deputy Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Zhao Baogang has said. Mr Zhao said this to journalists yesterday while interpreting the policy laid out by Chinese President Mr Xi Jinping when he opened the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Wednesday. “We hope we can share with you how we are developing, and we can develop good cooperation,” said Mr Zhao.

“We hope in the future we will have more policy coordination and more high-level exchanges. The top leaders will talk with each other. They understand each other. We are keen to develop more infrastructure. Currently, we are helping with the expansion of Kariba South power project and very soon we will make a decision to finance the Harare International Airport.”

Mr Zhao said China made great achievements in the past five years, especially in road construction, aviation industry, agriculture, the manufacturing industry, defence and diplomacy. He said the country was now at a new junction after completing part of its target goals. “We are also facing new challenges because we have to resolve many issues,” said Mr Zhao.

“For example, there are some people living in poverty and in (the) western region of China, we are still backward and (it) is not as developed as the eastern region, so we still have many challenges. The president (Xi Jinping) has set new goals for us. This means that we have new missions. In 2020, we will say that we built our moderately prosperous society. That is our goal. In 2035, we say that we will build a prosperous country.

“After (that), we have another goal; that is, in the middle of this century, we will build a socialist modern country, strong and democratic.” Mr Zhao said in his speech, President Xi elaborated on the policies and new approaches on how China could achieve its objectives.