China hails Zimbabwe's investment climate

China has commended Zimbabwe for maintaining what it described as an attractive, transparent and predictable business environment, as the two countries seek to deepen economic cooperation and expand investment across key sectors.

The remarks were made by Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Zhou Ding, after a courtesy call on Vice President Constantino Chiwenga in Harare on Monday.

The meeting reviewed growing economic ties between the two countries, with Chinese investment in Zimbabwe now exceeding US$4.4 billion and supporting more than one million jobs, according to figures presented during the discussions.

Zimbabwe also reiterated its position that foreign investment should deliver tangible benefits to ordinary citizens through job creation, increased productivity and broader economic opportunities.

Speaking after the meeting, Ambassador Zhou described Zimbabwe as a country with significant economic potential and praised efforts to create a conducive environment for investors.

"I am deeply honoured to have paid a visit to Honourable Vice President Chiwenga. We had a wonderful discussion on how to improve our bilateral relations. We covered a wide range of areas," he said.

"We talked about trade and economic relations. We are very happy that in the past years we have achieved a record high of US$4.4 billion. We are also happy that Chinese investment here in Zimbabwe is growing steadily, covering areas from steel, manufacturing, cement, fertiliser, to solar hydropower."

The ambassador said Chinese-funded projects have contributed significantly to employment and economic activity across the country.

"Zimbabwe is a land of hope, a land of promise and we hope that Zimbabwe will continue to maintain this attractiveness in terms of its business environment," he said.

The discussions also focused on emerging areas of cooperation, including digital technology, artificial intelligence and renewable energy.

Ambassador Zhou said China was prepared to work closely with Zimbabwe to strengthen technological capabilities and modernise key sectors of the economy.

The two countries are expected to explore practical ways of deploying artificial intelligence technologies and building local capacity to support their adoption in various industries.

China also expressed interest in collaborating with Zimbabwe on new energy projects as part of broader efforts to promote sustainable economic growth and industrial development.

"In future, we talked about how to strengthen our relations economically, culturally, educationally and in the new energy area. We also talked about how to utilise AI technology," said Zhou.

"We talked about how to enhance Zimbabwe's digital infrastructure. Those are the areas we will focus on and also, we talked about how to attract more business delegations, and how to maximise Zimbabwe's business environment."

The meeting comes as Zimbabwe continues efforts to attract greater levels of foreign direct investment while pursuing policies aimed at ensuring that investment contributes to economic transformation and improved livelihoods.

China remains one of Zimbabwe's largest investment partners, with interests spanning mining, manufacturing, energy, infrastructure and agriculture. Government officials believe stronger cooperation in technology, energy and digital infrastructure could further accelerate economic growth and industrialisation in the coming years.