President Emmerson Mnangagwa has met with several Chinese businesses and organisations in Beijing who have expressed interest to invest in the country.
The meetings follow the Zimbabwean delegation’s participation at the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which ended yesterday.
The Chinese businesses that have expressed interest to invest in Zimbabwe include Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, a global leader in consumer electronics; TBEA, which specialises in electricity generation, transmission and distribution.
TBEA expressed interest to invest in power transmission and distribution projects in Zimbabwe, a sector seen as a big enabler for economic development.
President Mnangagwa also met with Belt and Road Collaborative Innovation Centre (BRCIC).
Earlier in April, chairman of the BRCIC met President Mnangagwa and offered scholarships to Zimbabwean students.
Other Chinese businesses that met President Mnangagwa and expressed interest to invest in Zimbabwe include Yantai JinAO Protection Technology Co, a gold mining company involved in refractory gold ore extraction and processing; Touchroad International Holdings Group, which is involved in special economic zone development, resources exploitation, finance and international trade.
The China Gezhouba Group Company Limited & CGGC, one of the largest comprehensive solutions providers for the power industry in China and globally, also met President Mnangagwa.
The President also met representatives of China Gold, CCCC, a diversified group and 21 Century Space Technology Co Limited, which is involved in the construction industry.
The meetings came as President Mnangagwa on Tuesday pledged more economic reforms during his speech at a closed session of the FOCAC meeting.
“We have set out an ambitious and yet achievable programme of modernising our infrastructure and ensuring that our roads, railway network, air connectivity, ICTs and Special Economic Zones talk to the region, continent and the world at large,” he said.
Zimbabwe’s envoy to China, Ambassador Paul Chikawa, said the meetings were positive and would soon yield results.
“A lot of progress was recorded. Progress in terms of willingness on the part of the Chinese companies to come and invest in the Zimbabwean economy is evident. In some instances, third parties, that is to say, China, other countries and Zimbabwe, some bilateral, sometimes quadruplicate discussions took place on infrastructure development, mining, agriculture and financing. I am sure that there is lot of positive development from these interactions that is coming Zimbabwe’s way soon,” he said.
In his address to FOCAC, the President said his administration would accelerate industrialisation, modernisation and mechanisation of the economy.
He said this would ensure Zimbabwe became a middle income economy with a per capita income of $3 500, increase investment, create decent jobs, achieve broad-based empowerment, and be free from poverty and corruption by 2030.
President Mnangagwa said China remained Africa’s number one investment and trade partner and welcomed the continued funding of FOCAC projects, noting it amplifies the rise of a diversified African economy in line with the African Continental Free Trade Area.
“We have set out an ambitious and yet achievable programme of modernising our infrastructure and ensuring that our roads, railway network, air connectivity, ICTs and Special Economic Zones talk to the region, the continent and the world at large. We are open to cooperate with other countries within the FOCAC framework and the Belt and Road Initiative,” said President Mnangagwa. Herald
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