- President Robert Mugabe found a sanctuary from international
criticism in Beijing yesterday as the Chinese government gave him an economic
deal that is expected to provide Zimbabwe with desperately needed funds.
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- The cooperation agreement signed with the Chinese president,
Hu Jintao, reflects a strengthening alliance between Mr Mugabe, who has
adopted a "look east" policy to circumvent western critics, and
the government in Beijing, which is strengthening its presence in Africa
to secure energy, minerals and other commodities to fuel what is the world's
fastest growing economy.
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- Few details of the deal were released, but China's Xinhua
news agency reported that Beijing would provide economic and technical
support in several areas, including help to finance construction of a power
plant and the sale of a 60-seater plane to Harare.
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- Mr Mugabe's spokesman has previously said that Zimbabwe
would also ask China for the expansion and extension of lines of credit
to deal with triple-digit inflation and foreign debts of $4.5bn (£2.5bn).
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- At a time when he is treated as a pariah in Europe and
the US and by many international organisations, Mr Mugabe is keen to deepen
diplomatic and economic relations with China.
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- Beijing, which is thought to be interested in Zimbabwe's
reserves of platinum and other minerals, has been more than willing to
offer moral and financial support.
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- "You have made major contributions to the friendly
relations between our two countries," Mr Hu said at the start of the
meeting yesterday.
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- Relations have strengthened steadily since Zimbabwe gained
independence in 1980, but the pace has accelerated rapidly in recent years.
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- Bilateral trade hit $100m in the first three months of
this year and Beijing has started to replace the west as a source of capital
to such an extent that Mr Mugabe says China will soon be the country's
leading foreign investor.
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- Some of the biggest deals have seen China supply hydro-electric
generators for the national power authority, training jets for the air
force, planes for the national airline and thousands of commuter buses.
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- According to the New York Times, China also won a contract
last year to farm 386 square miles of land seized from white farmers in
2000.
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- The roof of Mr Mugabe's new £7.4m palace is covered
with Chinese tiles donated by Beijing; in return, the president has been
exhorting his population to study Mandarin and try Chinese food.
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- China yesterday conferred an honorary professorship on
Mr Mugabe from the Foreign Affairs University, under the auspices of the
Chinese foreign ministry.
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- "It is in recognition of the outstanding research
and remarkable contribution in the work of diplomacy and international
relations by his excellency," An Yongyu, Communist party secretary
of the university, was quoted as saying by the China Daily.
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- "People know very well that the president is a man
of strong will and achievements, a man safeguarding world peace."
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- Mr Mugabe's visit came as the UN yesterday launched a
campaign to provide urgent aid to 700,000 Zimbabweans made homeless or
jobless by housing demolitions.
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- Unicef urged the Harare government to immediately halt
the destruction of homes. UN officials said that the demolitions were continuing
in eastern Zimbabwe despite claims by the government that it had ended
the drive.
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- Unicef also appealed to the government for unhindered
access to provide aid to the uprooted families. The Unicef effort follows
the damning report on Mr Mugabe's sweeping drive to tear down the homes
of the urban poor by the UN's special envoy, Anna Tibaijuka.
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- James Elder, Unicef spokesman in Harare, said Zimbabwe
had "the world's fourth highest rate of HIV infection, the world's
fastest rising child mortality rate, drastic economic decline and a growing
food emergency. It is just too much. That is why we are working to help."
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- Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited
2005
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- http://www.guardian.co.uk/zimbabwe/article/0,2763,1536808,00.html
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