China's development experience offers valuable reference for Zimbabwe, which the southern African country aims to take advantage of through stronger friendship and deep study of Chinese economic sectors, said Jacob Mudenda, Speaker of Zimbabwe's Parliament.
Mudenda led a delegation to visit China from Monday to Sunday at the invitation of Zhao Leji, chairman of China's National People's Congress Standing Committee. This is his first visit to China since he became the Speaker of Zimbabwe's Parliament.
In an interview with China Media Group in Beijing on Sunday, Mudenda said Chinese President Xi Jinping and Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa have agreed on the "five-star ironclad" cooperation framework which has upscaled the bilateral relationship "from strategic cooperation to a higher level."
Mudenda said he had gained a lot during the one-week visit to China and communicating with the Chinese legislative body is one of the key points of this trip. The relevant situation of the construction of China's special economic zones introduced by the Chinese side in combination with the legislative work of the National People's Congress left a deep impression on him, and he expressed his willingness to enhance friendly exchanges with legislative bodies of China and jointly contribute to promoting the economic and social development of the two countries.
"We are going to establish a friendship association. You are going to see more and more parliamentary delegations coming out here specifically to look at various sectors of your economy as well as studying the political economy of this country," said the parliament speaker.
In 2018, China and Zimbabwe established a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. Both sides have been constantly promoting the building of a high-level China-Zimbabwe community with a shared future.
Infrastructure projects including the new parliament building, constructed and fully funded by China as a gift to the southern African country, were completed by June 2022.
In addition, China has aided Zimbabwe in the development of its local digital sector, and bilateral trade has seen steady growth in recent years.
Mudenda also expressed his hope to enhance practical cooperation with China in trade, energy, agriculture, artificial intelligence and people-to-people exchange.
"We support the one-China policy. China has supported us in ensuring that sanctions against Zimbabwe must be uplifted sooner than later. We are going to be seen to be moving together that higher plane of fraternal relations. Zimbabwe and China have supported each other in terms of the spirit of multilateralism. We support China in its leadership of the global South through FOCAC (Forum on China-Africa Cooperation), through the Belt and Road Initiative and of late through the establishment of the BRICS entity, and Zimbabwe has indicated that it wants to join," he said.
Zimbabwe's legislators seek to study Chinese economic development experience: parliament speaker
