The Sunday Mail
The economic deals Zimbabwe and China signed last month are not “a pie in the sky” as President Xi Jinping attaches great importance to co-operating with Harare, Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Lin Lin has said.
At a Business Herald breakfast meeting held in the Zimbabwean capital on Wednesday to unpack the deals – Mr Lin said President Mugabe’s State visit to China was “very successful and fruitful”.
He said his government was committed to the projects, which will see the Chinese support Zimbabwe in energy, agriculture, railways, infrastructure and telecommunications.
“The visit was very successful and fruitful. My President gives a lot of importance to this visit and bilateral cooperation between the two countries. The commitments made by both Presidents are very serious. We will do our best to meet our commitments,” said Mr Lin.
“We should put the mutual intentions of the two countries in one basket. I read in one local newspaper that the China deals are a pie in the sky. If they are a pie in the sky, I know Zimbabwe can fly high.”
Minister Chinamasa weighed in, saying the initiatives were endorsed by Chinese authorities up to the highest level.
He criticised some sections of local media for being negative.
“These are mega projects and your emphasis should be on how they are going to be funded. You should know that in his meeting with his counterpart, President Mugabe, the President of China, Xi Jinping, made a firm commitment to support Zimbabwe with the funding of the programmes that were identified (under) the Joint Commission for Zimbabwe and China.
“That commitment was reiterated by the Prime Minister of China (Mr Li Keqiang), and other higher authorities. . .The Chinese are very serious people and they have a great work ethic. Anyone who ignores China as an emerging economic giant is not serious. These statements like pie in the sky do not reflect the reality on the ground.
“Is the Kariba South expansion a pie in the sky? Is the expansion of the Victoria Falls International Airport a pie in the sky? Is the US$140 million towards water rehabilitation in Harare a pie in the sky?”
