Will China ever tire of Zimbabwe’s corruption and bad debt?

Nations have dismissed claims Beijing has pulled the plug on US$1.3 billion of funding for infrastructure projects, but the lack of return on previous investments is putting a strain on relations, observers say

African nation has defaulted on US$2.2 billion worth of loans made by China to Zimbabwe between 2000 and 2017

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Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa (right) met China’s special envoy Gu Shengzu (left) in Harare in September. Photo: AP

Published: 10:00pm, 10 Nov 2019Updated: 9:48am, 11 Nov 2019

The relationship between China and Zimbabwe dates back more than half a century. At the height of the African nation’s armed struggle with the white minority government of Ian Smith, Beijing provided arms and training to the guerillas of the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army, the military wing of Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front.

Among those who trained was current President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who took over from Mugabe following a coup two years ago. While Zimbabwe has lost favour with the West over its land policy, corruption and human rights abuses, China has continued to provide financial and diplomatic support.

Despite Mugabe’s death in September, Beijing has shown no signs of walking away from the relationship any time soon despite its displeasure over Mnangagwa’s failure to improve governance.

In June, China’s new ambassador to Zimbabwe, Guo Shaochun, toured the new parliament building in Harare – financed through a US$140 million grant by Beijing – together with Mnangagwa expressing satisfaction of the progress of the project. Construction of the imposing six-storey building is expected to be completed in 2021.

Meanwhile, both China and Zimbabwe have denied media reports that Chinese financiers had suspended US$1.3 billion in lending to three key projects after the Mnangagwa government diverted US$10 million from an escrow account for the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport expansion project as the country was hit by an acute shortage of foreign currency.

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