News / National
Mugabe meets Xi Jinping
25 Aug 2014 at 15:44hrs | Views
President Robert Mugabe met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on a visit to China hoping the long-time ally and economic giant can help the African nation's ailing economy.
Mugabe was welcomed on Monday with a 21-gun-salute at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing and hailed by Xi as a "renowned leader of the African national liberation movement" and an old friend of the Chinese people.
The leaders oversaw the signing of a number of agreements, including on economic, trade and tourism cooperation and emergency food donations and concessional loans from China to Zimbabwe. No details were immediately released.
Mugabe told Xi that Zimbabwe, being the smaller country, benefited more from the relationship, but said his government would do its best to "reciprocate your friendship".
Zimbabwe, a once-prosperous nation of 13 million people, has struggled since 90-year-old Mugabe defeated rival Morgan Tsvangirai in a 2013 vote marked by allegations of irregularities.
Mugabe's victory ended an uneasy power-sharing deal, but foreign investors have been deterred by concerns about corruption and government policies to force foreign-owned and white-owned businesses to cede 51% of their shares to black Zimbabweans.
Hundreds of manufacturing companies have closed in the past year.
Mugabe was welcomed on Monday with a 21-gun-salute at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing and hailed by Xi as a "renowned leader of the African national liberation movement" and an old friend of the Chinese people.
The leaders oversaw the signing of a number of agreements, including on economic, trade and tourism cooperation and emergency food donations and concessional loans from China to Zimbabwe. No details were immediately released.
Mugabe told Xi that Zimbabwe, being the smaller country, benefited more from the relationship, but said his government would do its best to "reciprocate your friendship".
Zimbabwe, a once-prosperous nation of 13 million people, has struggled since 90-year-old Mugabe defeated rival Morgan Tsvangirai in a 2013 vote marked by allegations of irregularities.
Mugabe's victory ended an uneasy power-sharing deal, but foreign investors have been deterred by concerns about corruption and government policies to force foreign-owned and white-owned businesses to cede 51% of their shares to black Zimbabweans.
Hundreds of manufacturing companies have closed in the past year.
Source - AP
