Online Reporter
Fungi Kwaramba, National Editor
President Mnangagwa returned home yesterday after a three-legged diplomatic offensive that took him to the Vatican, China and finally Eswatini, in visits that secured key partnerships and reinforced Zimbabwe’s foreign policy of engagement and re-engagement.
The President, who was welcomed at the Robert Mugabe International Airport by his deputies, Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga and Vice-President Kembo Mohadi, along with other top Government officials, told journalists that his visits to the three nations were fruitful and in sync with his administration’s thrust of engagement and re-engagement for economic prosperity.
During his trip, the President first met Pope Leo XIV, the leader of the Catholic Church, one of the biggest churches in the world, where discussions centred on the church’s contribution to the social services sector, where it has built schools and hospitals across the country.
“Our first visit was to the Vatican. I am happy to say we were extremely and warmly received at the Vatican. I’m not Catholic, but I felt the warmth of the reception that was extended to me and my delegation at the Vatican. I feel we were really honoured, but perhaps it was Zimbabwe that was honoured and they were given an exception, which I did not expect because I thought, since I am just a Methodist guy, I would be treated differently, but I felt the warmth was out of this world. And I really feel happy about the reception,” said the President.
Having received an audience with the Pope, who leads a Church of more than 1,4 billion people worldwide, the President flew to China, a country close to his heart, where, as a guerrilla, he was taught the art of war in 1965.
China has, over the years, been a constant ally of Zimbabwe and history was written when President Mnangagwa and his counterpart, President Xi, saw the elevation of the relations between the two countries from “Five Star Ironclad Friendship” to the “All Weather Zimbabwe-China Community with a Shared Future”.
“I trained in China in 1965 and we are the first group of freedom fighters who trained in China in 1965. So I was back again after over sixty years,” said the President.
The President added that there is a difference of night and day between the China he visited six decades ago, as a youthful freedom fighter and the China of today that is now the world’s second biggest economy with modern infrastructure and technology to show.
Last week in China, President Mnangagwa was among heads of state and governments who witnessed the 80th Anniversary of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War at a grand parade of military might in Tiananmen Square.
The President used his visit to China to hold a series of high-level meetings with representatives of Chinese companies with investment interests in Zimbabwe and those keen to set up shop in the country.
The high-level meetings culminated with the landmark engagement with President Xi Jinping last week, which sought to strengthen Harare’s relations with Beijing with a focus on advancing economic diplomacy in line with Zimbabwe’s engagement and re-engagement foreign policy.
“They have developed, they have moved on but they give a lot of respect to Zimbabwe and they cherish the revolutionary relationship that we have maintained along the period of our comrade relationship and many of our people have trained in China, yes of course I know I was among the first group that went there, but after me several other comrades have been able to train in China, so I was very happy to be back again after over 60 years,” said the President.
The elevation of relations was a bold move and a big statement in favour of Zimbabwe under the Second Republic, setting the pace towards opening vast prospects for mutually beneficial economic growth and prosperity between the two countries.
One such area is the revamping of the country’s rail infrastructure, a key component of the country’s ongoing infrastructure modernisation efforts, where President Mnangagwa secured a US$600 million agreement with China Railway International Group, which will see the country rehabilitate its railway system, a development set to position the country as the region’s central logistics hub.
“We have excellent relations between China and Zimbabwe and also excellent relations at the leadership level between President Xi Jinping and myself. I had a chance to discuss with him one-on-one. You feel the warmth of the relationship between heads of state. I felt very much at home, away from home,” said the President.
From China, the President flew closer to home, Eswatini, on a State visit that solidified ties between the two SADC Member States.
