Spotlight: "All-weather" China-Zimbabwe friendship sets sail for more fruitful cooperation

China and Zimbabwe agreed Tuesday to translate their time-honored friendship into stronger impetus for bilateral practical cooperation so as to achieve common development and prosperity.

The consensus came as Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is here for a state visit to the African country, and his Zimbabwean counterpart, Robert Mugabe, held talks in the State House and jointly charted the course for the future development of bilateral ties.

ALL-WEATHER FRIENDS

China and Zimbabwe, with their traditional friendship both having a long history and growing ever stronger now, are "real all-weather friends," said Xi, adding that they should not only be good friends in political sphere but also be good partners in promoting development.

Noting that the two countries have supported each other and carried out sincere cooperation during their respective development endeavor, Xi stressed that China will never forget its old friends.

China will, as always, support Zimbabwe in safeguarding its interests in sovereignty, security and development, and playing a bigger role in international and regional affairs, added the Chinese leader, who traveled to the National Heroes Acre and laid a wreath at the memorial site.

Mugabe, for his part, extended a warm welcome to the Chinese president, and expressed deep appreciation for China's sincerity in dealing with Zimbabwe and other African countries as well as profound gratitude for China's long-running valuable support for his country in various fields.

Calling China an "all-weather" friend of Zimbabwe, Mugabe said his country hopes to learn from China's experience in socioeconomic development, receive more assistance from China and expand bilateral cooperation in such fields as agriculture, industry and infrastructure.

After their talks, the two presidents witnessed the signing of a bilateral economic and technological cooperation agreement and a series of other deals covering such fields as infrastructure construction, production capacity, investment and financing, as well as wildlife protection.

China and Zimbabwe boast a time-honored brotherly relationship that dates back to the former's provision of substantial assistance for the latter's struggle for national liberation and independence.

Since the two countries established diplomatic relations on the very day of Zimbabwe's independence, bilateral ties have witnessed steady and fruitful development.

China has become a major trading partner of Zimbabwe and its largest source of foreign investment. Two-way trade reached 1.24 billion U.S. dollars in 2014, marking a year-on-year increase of 12.7 percent.

In a sign of the strong public support for the China-Zimbabwe friendship, tens of thousands of local people lined up along the airport road to welcome the Chinese president, and leading Zimbabwean newspapers are rolling out an extensive coverage on Xi's visit and bilateral friendship.

Meanwhile, in a tender testimony to bilateral friendship, Xi's wife, Peng Liyuan, paid a visit in the afternoon to Amai Mugabe Children's Home, an institution in Harare founded by Zimbabwean First Lady Grace Mugabe to adopt orphans and abandoned children.

It is a common responsibility of the whole society to help the orphans live a happy life and receive good education, Peng said, adding that she hopes the children will also be ready to help others when they grow up.

CHART COURSE FOR FUTURE

Xi's Zimbabwe trip comes upon the 35th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations and marks the first state visit by a Chinese president to the African country since 1996. Mainstream Zimbabwean newspapers lauded it as "historic."

During Mugabe's state visit to China in August 2014, the two countries agreed to be good friends, good partners and good brothers that treat each other as equals, support each other, and pursue win-win cooperation and common development.

In April this year, the two leaders held a meeting in Jakarta on the sidelines of an Asian and African leaders' summit, and pledged to make concerted efforts to lift bilateral relations to higher levels.

"My visit is aimed at consolidating the China-Zimbabwe traditional friendship, deepening practical cooperation and lifting bilateral relations to a higher level, so as to bring more benefits to our two peoples," Xi told Mugabe.

To that end, the Chinese president suggested that the two sides maintain high-level contact, strengthen inter-party, parliamentary and sub-national exchanges, and promote their cooperation in various fields in an all-round way.

China stands ready to shift bilateral economic and trade cooperation toward manufacturing, investment and management, and encourages more Chinese enterprises to invest in Zimbabwe, he added.

The two countries also need to boost people-to-people exchanges in such areas as education, culture, health, tourism, youth and media, so as to gain more public support for the China-Zimbabwe friendship, Xi added.

Meanwhile, he reiterated Beijing's readiness to strengthen coordination and collaboration with Harare on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other major issues as well as in international institutions, so as to safeguard the legitimate rights of developing countries and advance the democratization of international relations.

As regards the broader China-Africa ties, Xi reaffirmed that China is committed to the principles of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith as well as a right balance between upholding principles and pursuing benefits in its Africa policy.

China, he said, is willing to join hands with African countries to support each other and advance together along the path of development.

Noting that he and African leaders will gather in Johannesburg for a summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), Xi said he looks forward to working with African friends to strategize the development of China-African ties, open up new prospects for China-Africa friendship and cooperation, and set a new milestone in the history of China-Africa interaction.

Xi flew to Harare from Paris, where he delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of a highly anticipated UN climate change conference. His ongoing three-nation trip will also take him to South Africa for a state visit and the Johannesburg summit of FOCAC. Endi