By Blessing Vava
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| Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister Mr Wang Yi pictured with Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Acting President General Constantino Chiwenga during his recent visit to Zimbabwe |
The recent visit to Africa by the Chinese
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Wang Yi, was a pregnant diplomatic statement and reaffirms
China’s strong influence on the continent, politically and economically.
Although some pundits viewed
the visit as a low-key event, different interpretations can,
however, be presented to decipher the meaning of Minister Wang’s visit to Africa and Zimbabwe in particular.
Firstly, the visit is a routine for a Chinese foreign minister
to visit Africa at the beginning of each year. However, this visit is
significant in the geopolitical dynamics, where the West is also trying to
exert its influence on the continent.
For decades, Western imperialism had set a permanent mark on
the continent, particularly after the infamous 1884 meeting convened by the
German Chancellor Otto Eduard Leopold, better known as Otto von Bismarck, the meeting which regulated European colonisation and trade in Africa during the
New Imperialism period and marked the first Scramble for Africa.
Significantly, the Chinese minister flexed his muscles during
his five-nation a tour that saw him visit Egypt, Djibouti, Eritrea, Burundi and Zimbabwe, meeting
foreign affairs ministers, presidents and their deputies.
In Zimbabwe, President Emmerson Mnangagwa had to cut short
his holiday to meet the Chinese diplomat. Thus then shows the influence China
has on the continent.
Secondly, apart from China’s sending an indirect message to
its foes, what we can then draw from the visit, the discussions that happened
between the Chinese official and leaders of the countries visited and other of
such initiatives like Forum on
China-Africa Co-operation (FOCAC), clearly shows the emergence of
Chinese imperialism on the continent.
Unlike the Berlin 1884 initiative, the Chinese have been
clever in their approach to exploiting Africa’s resources in the second
Scramble for Africa.
The second Scramble for Africa’s raw materials has seen the West
losing its economic influence to China due to the latter’s non-interference,
mutual respect, mutual trust and mutual support.
Thirdly, for China, Africa
has been used as an area in which to challenge the West and, in particular,
America’s global hegemony. The emphasis by the Chinese of non-interference is a
direct reference and mocking of the West, in particular, America, which is constantly
accused of meddling in other countries’ internal affairs, something re-emphasised
by Minister Wang during his visit openly challenging the West to lift sanctions
against Zimbabwe.
In the same vein, the
comments made by Mr Zhao Baogang, the Chinese deputy ambassador to Zimbabwe,
while commenting on the new Parliament being constructed by the Chinese in Mt
Hampden seems to buttress my argument.
The Chinese deputy
ambassador said that the new Parliament was important in the decolonisation of
Zimbabwe, thus casting aspersions on the former colonial master Britain.
Thus, it was also not a
coincident that United States ambassador Brian Nichols went to meet Zimbabwe’s Vice-President
Constantine Chiwenga days just after Mr Wang’s visit.
Fourthly,
on one hand, the selection of Zimbabwe was not a coincidence, mainly because
China’s relationship with Zimbabwe has been one of the most visible in the last
decade.
In
the early 2000s, Zimbabwe announced a “Look-East” policy anchored on China, with
ruling party politicians referring to China as an “all-weather friend”. In a
way, Zimbabwe is unique in Africa in that it has more aggressively pursued an
active and engaged relationship with China than other African states, hence the
visit.
On
the other hand, the visit to Zimbabwe by the top Chinese diplomat was an
opportunity to show a face of unity following a diplomatic spate last year over
a dispute on Chinese assistance to Zimbabwe as well as a four years ago when
Zimbabwe kicked out all mining firms out of Chiadzwa.
First, in 2016, the relationship between Harare and Beijing took a
dip after then President, the late Robert Mugabe’s government kicked out all
miners from Chiadzwa diamond mines.
Then, affected Chinese firms included Anjin and Jinan, but the
Zimbabwean government had to later bow to Chinese pressure and re-admit Anjin
back into the mining fields.
Last
year, the relationship again
hit a low after Zimbabwe’s government said it had
only received US$3,6 million in aid from Beijing in 2019 ‑ 40 times lower than
the figure claimed by China.
Representatives of both countries tried to show a face of
unity despite the spat and persistently re-emphasised the friendship between
the two countries.
Speaking
at the same occasion, Minister Wang said bilateral relations between China and
Zimbabwe for the past 40 years had become “stronger and trustworthy”.
“We
have become stronger friends and we have deeper trust in each other. We have
become even more steadfast in our commitment to bilateral co-operation.”
Trust was lost and that’s the reason why China had to release
a statement correcting the figures of the aid they had given to Zimbabwe.
While at it, I will however
agree with some pundits who allude that while economics remains important in
the China-Africa relationship, it’s just one part of a much broader political
and military and technological agenda.
Lastly, there is absolutely no doubt that the Chinese are a
bit annoyed by Mnangagwa’s inconsistencies in his foreign policy.
In my opinion, I think that the Chinese are disappointed by
Mnangagwa’s dalliance with the Russians, and at some point, the British, and
that is why some pundits were now alluding to the fact that the Chinese were now
vouching for Chiwenga to take over.
In 2017, Chiwenga led a coup just after his return from
China, toppling his long-time boss Mugabe.
Last year, he spent much of his time in the giant Asian country receiving treatment and upon his return, it was only Mr Zhao, the
Chinese deputy envoy, to receive him at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport
in Harare.
Could it be that the Chinese are preparing him to take over?
Hence this then explains why Mnangagwa cut his leave also to meet Minister Wang. So much has been happening behind closed doors and perhaps one can also view
this visit as a “make up” between friends who had had a fight.
Blessing Vava is a blogger based in Chipinge and can be contacted on blessingvava@gmail.com
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