Zimbabwe's Higher and Tertiary Education Minister and acting Foreign Minister Stan Mudenge on Thursday applauded China's development over the last 60 years.

Speaking at a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Mudenge said China had developed from a modest economy to an economic powerhouse.

"China has modernized from a semi-rural economy," he said at the event held at the Chinese embassy. "Now it is one of the biggest economies of the world."

"We want to learn from that. We thought that through those good examples of opening up to the world, of using the market principle in the development of their economy, we can also find some convergence with the international community and globalization," Mudenge said.

Mudenge said the relations between China and Zimbabwe dated back to his country's pre-independence era when China was among the first countries to offer assistance to Zimbabwe's liberation struggle.

Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Xin Shunkang also gave a brief overview of China's development and the friendly relations between China and Zimbabwe.

"During my tenure of office, I will exert my efforts to enhance the friendship between our two peoples and further consolidate and develop the friendly relations and cooperation between China and Zimbabwe," Xin said.

(Xinhua News Agency September 25, 2009)