President xi State visit 2015
Ambassador Paul Chikawa
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s State visit to Zimbabwe is significant as it presents an opportunity to the two countries’ leaderships to confer, exchanging views on bilateral, regional and global issues.
This is one of our, if not the most, important bilateral relationships both historically and now. Since President Mugabe’s highly successful State visit to China in August 2014, the two leaders have met on a number of occasions.
We are optimistic that they will – this time around – also chart the way forward for our two countries and peoples in some fundamental ways. When leaders meet at such occasions, it is an opportunity for them to define the direction of bilateral relations, give momentum to bilateral programmes, thereby giving impetus to all-round co-operation that includes trade, investment and people-to-people exchanges.
His Excellency, President Xi Jinping, is visiting Zimbabwe against the backdrop of a number of milestones. These include 35 years of diplomatic relations between Harare and Beijing; 15 years since the advent of the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation and also 15 years since His Excellency President Mugabe’s enunciation of the now world-famous Look East Policy. President Xi’s visit will enhance Zimbabwe-China relations in a fundamental and multi-faceted manner.
We look forward to several deliverables in the areas of infrastructure development, energy and agriculture to cite some of the areas recently articulated by Foreign Affairs Secretary Ambassador Joey Bimha.
The visit reaffirms our sound relations which predate our diplomatic relations.
Zimbabwe and China are longstanding friends, dating back to our quest for political independence when China was a key supporter of that struggle.
I would, therefore, posit that the visit was always going to come and now just happens to be the time when it has come to fruition. A visit of this nature entails diplomatic and protocol arrangements and these have indeed taken place. Among these were separate visits to Zimbabwe by China’s Vice Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Commerce, in addition to several diplomatic interactions.
Though I am unqualified to speak for the Chinese leader, I wish to state the following: President Xi has been in power since 2013, and visited three African countries that year during his maiden trip to the continent. His visit to Zimbabwe will be his second to Africa. He will proceed to South Africa where the Second FOCAC Summit and Sixth FOCAC Ministerial Meeting are due to take place from December 2 to 5, 2015. In this regard, I would think that the Chinese President has not finally visited Zimbabwe.
Rather, he has decided to visit Zimbabwe at a mutually convenient juncture. Please note that this is the second time President Xi is visiting Africa in three years and in his first term.
Given the fact that China enjoys diplomatic relations with 50 African countries, and if the Chinese leader were to visit two African countries annually, it would take him 25 years to visit all the African countries. In my view, this visit, coming just over a year after our President’s successful State visit to China, bears testimony to the depth and solidity of Zimbabwe-China relations. Bilateral trade has more than doubled since 2010. In 2014, two-way trade was US$1,2 billion. Of this, Zimbabwe exported US$800 million worth of goods while China exported to Zimbabwe US$400 million; showing that the balance of trade is in Zimbabwe’s favour.
Tobacco dominates our exports to China.
Other export items include cotton and various minerals. On its part, China exports electronics, equipment and machinery. In line with our Zim-Asset thrust, we are now focusing on promoting more value-added exports to China across a whole range of products and areas.
There is a convergence of interest in this regard. For reference, you may wish to note that since 2009, China has been and continues to be Africa’s premier trading partner, with the total trade volume hitting US$220 billion.
Plans are afoot to increase this to US$400 billion by 2020. China has become a significant investor in Africa. The above are important signposts for us as country to map out our trade and investment trajectory with our Chinese counterparts. Specifically, we are working towards increasing our trade volumes and attracting competent industrial and technological investments from China as the latter now faces increased production costs, leading to the relocation of excess production capacity.
China has articulated several new measures that include, but not limited to, relocation of excess production capacity, the One Road One Belt Initiative, the New Development Bank (which consists of Brics countries and has an African Regional Office in South Africa) and FOCAC.
China’s policy initiatives and thrust dovetail with our own policies and natural and human resource endowments plus our strategic geographical position. This engenders a win-win outcome where Chinese investments here will find beneficial opportunities.
We envisage Chinese investments in textiles, glass manufacturing, mining and mineral processing and building materials production. We also anticipate an upsurge in Zimbabwe’s exports of value-added products to China and beyond as a result of the above-cited investments.
In addition, we look forward to increased visibility of Zimbabwe in China due to this visit. Therefore, in the aftermath, we believe there will be more activity across sectors, including tourism and people-to-people exchanges.
We will be pursuing these areas conscientiously. This is related to the foregoing.
The above policy thrust by China and the fact that China is now the world’s second biggest economy in GDP terms means there is scope for us to work together in the revival and expansion of our industries.
These include mining and metallurgical, agro and agro-processing and ICT, just to mention a few.
We have the requisite human resources in the form of a highly-educated, skilled and trainable population and natural resources some of which lead the globe.
Above all, our people-to-people and political ties are the bedrock as they are time-tested and time-honoured.
In a complimentary way, China and Zimbabwe will work together not only to revive current industries, but to develop new ones. It can be done and I am sure we will do it!
We already have ongoing projects like the Kariba South Power Station Expansion, the Victoria Falls Airport upgrade and the Harare City Water and Sewage and Treatment Rehabilitation Project.
These are examples of industry revival and expansion enablers.
China is a major global player.
It is the world’s Number Two economy in GDP terms, possessing the highest foreign currency reserves globally.
Its currency may well soon be included in the IMF’s SDR as the Yuan is now the fourth most used medium of exchange after the USD, the Euro and the Pound).
Therefore, it goes without saying that it is natural and expected for China to interact on the global stage.
While it would be a bit preposterous for me to compare the recent visits in the light of our own, I would say as a responsible country, we relate with the rest of the world on a mutually-respectful basis and positive-sum-game approach.
Zimbabwe is special and unique in its own way. Therefore, this visit will be special and incomparable to any in the past and in the future. That is not to say comparative analysis is misplaced.
In other words, I look at the visit as an opportunity for interaction between two friendly countries at the highest level.
The results will speak to our core interests that cannot and should not be measured in terms of third parties.
At any rate, I sincerely believe that this visit presents us with an opportunity to work on our core interests in the same way other countries would with China.
Destiny is in our hands; we remain our own masters and, thankfully, China is a long-standing and sincere partner.
I am fully optimistic of Zimbabwe-China relations. This visit is, without any doubt, a major boost. We anticipate increased interactions and co-operation across all sectors. In fact, there is a lot more that should and will take place between the two sides after the visit as indeed a lot has already taken place before the visit.
The interactions will include implementation of agreed outcomes of the visit and new opportunities that will emerge.
I count myself lucky and privileged to be serving at this particular juncture in the illustrious history of our bilateral relations. Together with colleagues at the (Zimbabwe) Embassy and under the guidance of the Principals here at home, I am certain we will contribute in our own way in the further enhancement of these sound relations. It is my sincere hope and wish that this visit is a high watermark in our relations. We must remain engaged on a day-to-day basis in striving for the defence of our national interests and promotion of socio-economic development.
Ambassador Paul Chikawa is Zimbabwe’s Chief Diplomat in China. He shared these views with The Sunday Mail Chief Reporter Kuda Bwititi in Harare on November 26, 2015