Zimbabwe opposition MDC 'will expel
Chinese investors'
02
May 2018
A
Zimbabwean opposition leader has vowed to expel Chinese investors if he wins
elections due in July. "They are busy asset-stripping the resources of the
country," Nelson Chamisa said at a May Day rally in the capital, Harare.
China is Zimbabwe's fourth largest trading partner and its largest source of
investment.
Africa-China exports fall by 40% after
China slowdown
13
Jan 2016
African
exports to China fell by almost 40% in 2015, China's customs office says. China
is Africa's biggest single trading partner and its demand for African
commodities has fueled the continent's recent economic growth. The decline in
exports reflects the recent slowdown in China's economy. This has, in turn, put
African economies under pressure and in part accounts for the falling value of
many African currencies.
China's Xi Jinping in Zimbabwe for
talks with Mugabe
01
Dec 2015
China's
President Xi Jinping has arrived in Zimbabwe, making him the most prominent
global leader in many years to visit the country. The two nations had a
"deep and firm" friendship, Mr Xi said in an article in Zimbabwe's
state-run Herald newspaper. Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has strongly
pursued a "Look East" policy since the West isolated him over his
controversial land reform program. China is major investor in Zimbabwe, helping
to keep its economy afloat.
Kenya breaks 'Chinese-run cybercrime network'
04
Dec 2014
Kenyan
police say they have cracked a cybercrime center run by 77 Chinese nationals
from upmarket homes in the capital, Nairobi. Police believe they were involved
in hacking and money laundering. The foreign ministry summoned a Chinese
diplomat to discuss the arrests. A Chinese official said the embassy was
co-operating with investigations. The BBC's Paul Nabiswa in Nairobi says the
raids come at a time when many Chinese companies are investing heavily in
Kenya, especially in the construction industry. The Kenyan government has
signed many bilateral agreements with China and Chinese nationals have roles in
government programs, including in higher education institutions, he says.
Zimbabwe economy: Investments plunging,
says bank governor
26
Aug 2014
Foreign
investment in Zimbabwe more than halved in the first six months of the year,
the country's central bank chief John Mangudya has said. The government policy
to hand economic control to black Zimbabweans had been misunderstood by
investors, he said. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe has signed nine investment deals in
China during President Robert Mugabe's visit. They included investment in
sectors such as energy, roads, railways, telecommunications, agriculture and
tourism - but no figures were given. Zimbabwe does not have its own currency
and uses eight others as legal tender, with the US dollar and South African
rand most commonly used.
China to build new East Africa railway
line
12
May 2014
Formal
agreements for plans to build a new railway line in East Africa with Chinese
help have been signed in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. It is to run from Mombasa
to Nairobi and will extend eventually to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and South
Sudan. "This project demonstrates that there is equal co-operation and
mutual benefit between China and the East African countries, and the railway is
a very important part of transport infrastructure development," said Chinese
Prime Minister Li Keqiang. A subsidiary of China Communications Construction Co
has been named as the main contractor. China's Eximbank is to provide 90% of
the cost of the first phase put at $3.8bn (£2.3bn) of the line, with Kenya
putting up the remaining 10%.
Japan and China criticize each other's
Africa policies
10
Jan 2014
China
and Japan are criticizing each other's policies in Africa as each country pledges
more money for the continent. Japan has suggested China is buying off African
leaders with lavish gifts. Meanwhile China accuses Japan of courting African
support for a place on the United National Security Council. Japan's leader
Shinzo Abe is touring three nations in Africa, the first trip there by a
Japanese prime minister for eight years. Mr. Abe is expected to pledge more
than $14bn in aid and trade deals during his trip to Ethiopia, Ivory Coast and
Mozambique. China has hailed Africa a "golden ground" for foreign
investment and has pledged to double its aid to the continent to $20bn a year.
Zambia seizes control of Chinese-owned
mine amid safety fears
20
Feb 2013
The
Zambian government has taken over the running of a Chinese-owned coalmine after
revoking its license because of safety lapses. As well as the safety issues, Mr
Mukanga also stated that the company had failed to pay royalties or properly
declare how much coal was produced. The mine in question has been
controversial. A Zambian miner was charged with the murder of a Chinese
supervisor at the Collum mine last year. In 2010, Chinese managers were accused
of firing on protesting miners. China has invested more than $2bn in the
Zambian mining industry. According to Beijing, China has created 50,000 jobs in
Zambia, with trade between the two countries reaching $3.5bn in 2011.
Africa and China: Workers face clash of
cultures
24
Dec 2012
China's
new leadership has made it clear that it is still committed to developing its
interests in Africa. China's embrace of Africa in recent years has boosted
trade volumes and foreign investment, and provided new infrastructure. Business
links between China and Africa may be cordial and efficient, but it does not
mean that friendship and mutual liking necessarily follow in their wake. There
have been anti-Chinese sentiments in Zambia over the treatment of African
workers in Chinese-run mines and rising hostility to Chinese immigrants in
other African states.
China pledges $20bn in credit for
Africa at summit
19
Jul 2012
China
has pledged $20bn (£12.8bn) in credit for Africa over the next three years, in
a push for closer ties and increased trade. President Hu Jintao made the
announcement at a summit in Beijing with leaders from 50 African nations. He
said the loans would support infrastructure, agriculture and the development of
small businesses. Africa is an important source of raw materials to feed
China's economic boom and a market for cheap Chinese products, and has
benefited from huge infrastructure projects in return.
Zimbabwe trade fair boycotted by India
and Russia
27
Apr 2012
India
and Russia have boycotted a major international trade fair in Zimbabwe in
protest against the country's policy of taking control of foreign companies.
Chinese firms, however, have come to the trade fair in Bulawayo in droves.
China is the single biggest investor at the trade expo, with Chinese companies
taking up 90% of the stands.
South Sudan's Salva Kiir says Sudan has
declared war
24
Apr 2012
South
Sudan's President Salva Kiir says Sudan has "declared war" on his
country, following weeks of fighting along their common border. Kiir was
speaking in China as he met Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao in Beijing, which is
a major buyer of oil from both countries, but has long been an ally of Sudan's
President Omar al-Bashir. China's foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said on
Tuesday that oil was "the economic lifeline for both countries". He
added: "To maintain the stability and sustainability of the oil
cooperation is consistent with the fundamental interests of both countries. It
is also consistent with the interests of Chinese enterprises and their
partners.”
Khaki Capitalism by Schumpeter, The
Economist
03
Dec 2011
Zimbabwe’s
army has recently formed joint ventures with Chinese partners in farming and
mining.
China
Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in Zimbabwe visit
11 Feb 2011
Chinese
Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi has arrived in Zimbabwe at the start of a
five-nation tour of Africa. He described the country as a "good
brother" to China, ahead of an expected meeting with President Robert
Mugabe. The China Development Bank has plans to spend $10bn in Zimbabwe's
mining, agriculture and infrastructure sectors, according to comments made
several weeks ago by Zimbabwe's investment promotion minister. China's ties
with Zimbabwe, which go back to pre-independence times, have helped protect Mr.
Mugabe's government at the United Nations. The Chinese use of its veto in 2008
was "a landmark diplomatic decision where it basically saved Zimbabwe from
punitive sanctions instigated by an irate and sulky former colonial
power", the Chinese news agency Xinhua quoted Mr. Mumbengegwi as saying.
"So, now this visit will give an opportunity for Zimbabweans to finally
thank China for this act," he said.
China
'agrees huge Zimbabwe loan'
30 June 2009
China
has agreed to give Zimbabwe a loan of $950m (£573m) to help it revive its
battered economy, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has said. "We will
encourage and facilitate more Chinese companies to seek development in
Zimbabwe," Chinese official Zhou Yongkang told state news agency Xinhua.
The
Man from Beijing by Henning Mankell, 2010, Excerpts
[Fictional speech to Communist Party gathering
regarding Africa]
“Let us travel,” said Wan Ba, “to an
entirely different continent, to Africa. In recent years, in order to secure
sufficient supplies of raw materials, not lest oil, to meet our needs, we have
built up increasingly strong relationships with many African states. We have
been generous with loans and gifts, but we do not interfere in the internal
politics of these countries. We are neutral; we do business with everybody. As
a result, it makes no difference to us if the land we are dealing with is
Zimbabwe or Malawi, Sudan or Angola. Just as we reject any kind of foreign
interference in our internal affairs and our legal system, we acknowledge that
these countries are independent and that we cannot make any demands with regard
to the way in which they are run.”
“Now we can see that large areas of
land, often very fertile, are lying in waste. Unlike ours, the Dark Continent
is sparsely populated. And we have now realized that it offers us at least part
of a solution to the circumstances that threaten our own stability. In the
deserted plains, in the fertile valleys through which the great African rivers
flow, we shall farm the land my moving there millions of our peasants, who,
with no doubt at all, will begin to farm land lying fallow. We shall not be
getting rid of people; we shall simply be filling a vacuum and everybody will
benefit from what comes to pass. There are lands in Africa, especially in the
south and southeast, where enormous areas could be populated by the poor people
from our own country. We would be making Africa fruitful and at the same time
eliminating a threat that faces us.”
