President Xi proposes 'five-star ironclad' cooperation framework with Zimbabwe

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday held talks with Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is in Beijing for the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and a state visit.

Noting the profound traditional friendship between China and Zimbabwe, Xi said that consolidating and deepening the two countries' ironclad friendship aligns with the common expectations of the two peoples.

He proposed establishing a "five-star ironclad" cooperation framework underpinned by five key areas: politics, economy and trade, security, culture, and international coordination.

Xi urged joint efforts to build a high-level China-Zimbabwe community with a shared future.

The Chinese president regarded the similarity in philosophy and solid mutual trust between the two parties and countries as the greatest advantage of China-Zimbabwe relations, saying China supports Zimbabwe in safeguarding its sovereignty, security, and development interests and opposes foreign interference and illegal sanctions.

China is willing to strengthen the exchange of experience in governance with Zimbabwe, further align development strategies and expand mutually beneficial cooperation in diverse areas, Xi added.

He vowed to continue to provide scholarships for outstanding Zimbabwean students to study in China and promote people-to-people exchanges.

China highly appreciates Zimbabwe's support for various global initiatives and ideas put forward by China, Xi said, and extended congratulations to Zimbabwe on its assumption of the rotating chairmanship of the Southern African Development Community.

He added that China is ready to work with Zimbabwe to strengthen international cooperation, promote the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and work together to safeguard international justice and equity.

The Chinese president also told Mnangagwa that China has always made the development of its relations with African countries the cornerstone of its foreign policy, firmly supporting African countries to take the path of independent development and supporting Africa to become an important pole in the world's political, economic and civilizational development.

Xi pointed out that the FOCAC is the most important platform and mechanism for strengthening China-Africa solidarity and cooperation and has become a flagship for international cooperation with Africa.

China is ready to work with the African side to make the upcoming 2024 FOCAC summit a new milestone event in the history of China-Africa relations and to clarify the direction and path of China and Africa's joint efforts to promote modernization, Xi stressed.

Mnangagwa, for his part, expressed his gratitude to China for its valuable support for Zimbabwe's economic and social development, including the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Zimbabwe is willing to strengthen the exchange of experience with China in the governance of the country and the party and deepen cooperation in infrastructure, agriculture, minerals, new energy and other fields, he added.

The Zimbabwean president also thanked China for standing up for Zimbabwe on international occasions and appreciated China's constructive role in international and regional affairs such as the Ukraine crisis and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Mnangagwa voiced support for the series of global initiatives put forward by President Xi, saying his country is ready to work closely with China in the multilateral arena.

Zimbabwe adheres to the one-China principle and is willing to continue to be a firm and close friend of China in Southern Africa, he stressed, adding Zimbabwe is willing to work with China to promote greater development of the Zimbabwe-China comprehensive strategic partnership.