adminChinese ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Lin Lin made the announcement on Friday when he delivered a lecture to senior army officers at the Zimbabwe Defence College.
I am glad to tell, the vice premier of China, Mr Wang Yang will visit Zimbabwe next week, he said. He is the third vice-premier of China to visit Zimbabwe in three consecutive years.
This is very rare in the relations between China and any other African country and this fully demonstrates the importance China attaches to the Sino-Zimbabwe relationship.
Mr Lin said the two sides will sign a number of cooperation agreements that will provide assistance to Zimbabwe.
The Vice Premier is expected to meet President Mugabe, Vice President Joice Mujuru and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
Asked why succeeding Chinese Presidents visit other African countries and not Zimbabwe, Mr Lin said Zimbabwe hosted the Chinese President Jiang Zemin in 1996.
He said there were so many African countries, making it difficult to make repeat visits.
The Chinese President was here in 1996 and we have had some high level delegations visiting Zimbabwe, said Mr Lin. It is difficult to go to all African countries.
Mr Lin said Zimbabwe and China enjoyed traditional and cordial relations that began with support to Zimbabwe’s liberation movements in the 1960s and the training of early cadres like Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa.
China was among the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with independent Zimbabwe on April 18 1980.
The past 33 years have witnessed the all-round, sustainable, fruitful growth of our relations, said Mr Lin.
The friendship and political trust between the two countries have been consolidated through visits and exchanges at various levels.
Mr Lin said the strength of relations between the two nations was shown by the number of visits to China by President Mugabe who has been to that country 13 times before and after independence.
He said last year alone, 20 high powered ministerial delegations from Zimbabwe visited China.
In the past three years, nine Chinese state leaders and high ranking officials including two vice premiers and a foreign minister visited Zimbabwe.
The two Chinese vice premiers who visited Zimbabwe were Mr Wang Qishan in 2011 and Mr Hui Liangyu in 2012.
Mr Lin said the strength of relations was shown by the way the two countries share similar stances and views on many international and regional issues.
China firmly supports Zimbabwe’s action in protecting national sovereignty, firmly supports Zimbabwe’s pursuit for independent development and has at various international occasions called on the western countries to lift sanctions against Zimbabwe, he said.
In 2008, China vetoed a draft resolution at the United Nations attempting to impose sanctions on Zimbabwe.
The relations have seen a growth in trade between the two countries with China ranking third after South Africa and the European Union.
In 2012 bilateral trade volume exceeded US$1 billion, with China’s imports from Zimbabwe valued at US$585 million, while exports to Zimbabwe stood at US$430 million.
Mr Lin said Chinese foreign direct investment grew to US$660 million, covering a wide range of areas that include agriculture, manufacturing, construction, mining and tourism.
He said China played a constructive role in the settlement of African conflicts.
China, Mr Lin said, has always supported peace and development in Africa through support to the African Union and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development.
Online Reporter