Online Reporter
Mukudzei Chingwere in XIONG’AN, China
VICE PRESIDENT Dr Constantino Chiwenga today visited two technology and smart-energy facilities, as Zimbabwe seeks to tap Chinese expertise to accelerate its technological advancement, industrialisation and transition towards modern energy systems.
VP Chiwenga first toured the Zhongguancun Science and Technology Park before proceeding to the Jucun “1+5+X” Urban Smart Energy Integrated Station, where his delegation was taken through some of China’s innovations in science and technology, artificial intelligence, smart-city development and clean-energy management.
The visits formed part of his ongoing working visit to China, which has increasingly focused on converting the strong political relations between Harare and Beijing into practical economic cooperation, investment, technology transfer and skills development.
Speaking after the tours, VP Chiwenga said Zimbabwe’s interest was not merely in observing China’s technological progress, but in establishing partnerships through which Chinese expertise can be transferred and adapted to Zimbabwe’s development requirements.
“The most important thing is that Zimbabwe wants to work with China, and China wants to work with Zimbabwe to transfer knowledge,” said VP Chiwenga.
The Zhongguancun innovation ecosystem has emerged as one of China’s major centres for turning scientific research into commercially viable technologies.
The Zhongguancun model is particularly relevant to Zimbabwe’s ambitions to build an innovation-driven economy because of the way it connects universities, research institutions, entrepreneurs, investors and industry, allowing scientific research to move from laboratories into commercial production.
His second stop, at the Jucun “1+5+X” Urban Smart Energy Integrated Station in Xiong’an New Area, exposed the Zimbabwean delegation to another dimension of China’s development — the integration of electricity infrastructure, renewable energy, digital technology and public amenities within a modern smart city.
The facility, developed within the State Grid system, departs from the traditional concept of a stand-alone electricity substation by integrating power infrastructure with energy storage, intelligent charging, computing, green-energy applications and other smart-city services.
Bongani Ndlovu