Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulates Zimbabwe’s Emmerson Mnangagwa after disputed vote
Beijing has close economic and diplomatic ties with Harare, which it has been keen to maintain since former leader Robert Mugabe was ousted in November
Chinese President Xi Jinping has congratulated Emmerson Mnangagwa on his election as president of Zimbabwe, Xinhua reported on Tuesday, offering support after the African nation’s opposition cried foul.
Mnangagwa has urged Zimbabweans to unite after he was declared the first elected head of state since Robert Mugabe’s removal from power, but the opposition leader has insisted he won and has pledged to challenge the result.
China has close economic and diplomatic ties with Zimbabwe, which it has been keen to maintain after Mugabe’s ouster in November in a de facto coup that brought his former ally Mnangagwa to power.
“In a congratulatory message dated Sunday, Xi expressed his wishes that the Zimbabwean government and people would make more achievements in national development under Mnangagwa’s leadership,” the Xinhua report said.
Xi expects to meet Mnangagwa next month when he visits Beijing for a summit of Chinese and African leaders, it said.