Is western propaganda against China in Zimbabwe taking a new turn?

By Africa China Review staff writer

One of the leading newspapers in Zimbabwe – The Herald published a headline titled, “Do not be used against China by the United States (September 23, 2021). The article reveals that the United States and some Western countries are engaged in sponsoring the media, labour unions, civil society and lawyers to fight China investments in Zimbabwe.

“It is understandable that the US is especially feeling the heat of a rising China, which is now the world’s second largest economy and breathing down hard on the former sole superpower,” the article said.

Unlike the boastful US, though, China is not interested in dominating the world and would rather belong to a global community of shared values. China cooperation with Africa and Zimbabwe never attaches political or economic strings. China never threatens other countries to exchange their resources for aid, the article reads. China’s investments in Zimbabwe are not opportunistic.

Chinese interests in Zimbabwe are born out of a long history, dating back to pre-modern times and these were cemented during Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle of the 1960s and 70s. China was the first country to establish diplomatic relations with the newly independent nation of Zimbabwe in 1980, the author informed.

When Zimbabwe had problems with the Western countries, which sa the altter impose punitive sanctions after the land reform programme in 1980, China came to the rescue as Zimbabwe predicated its look East policy on good relations with China. Now 20 years later, the policy redefined by president Mnangagwa’s “Zimbabwe is open for business,” – the relationship has blossomed and bearing fruit seen in the number of Chinese investments and aid to the Southern African country.

China is not the biggest creditor of Zimbabwe, but the biggest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Zimbabwe, worth millions of dollars. Big projects in mining and construction are set to change the face of the country forever creating thousands of jobs across value chains.

This will make better the lives of Zimbabwean people, in line with government’s wish to uplift citizens within the matrix of achieving the upper middle income economy status. This is the real “people’s Lives Matter.” This is something that has to be applauded and admired by all people of good will.

China has earned its place as an all-weather friend of Zimbabwe. The angst of western countries, led by US is vexatious, the article reads in part.

herald.co.zw