Riyaz Patel
China says it fully supports the just call by Zimbabwe and other African states to lift sanctions against Harare as soon as possible, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Sunday, pledging to strengthen cooperation with the southern African country.
Wang made the remarks during a joint press conference with Zimbabwe’s Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Sibusiso Moyo in Harare, reports CGTN.
The unilateral sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by some countries and institutions “have no basis in terms of international law and infringed on Zimbabwe’s legitimate development rights and interests,” Wang said.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Zimbabwe, and the two sides should use this opportunity to further carry forward the tradition of friendly mutual trust and mutual support between the two countries, Wang said.
Over the past four decades the two countries have always understood, respected, supported and trusted each other, becoming an example of China-Africa cooperation and South-South cooperation, Wang continued, adding that China is pleased to see that China-Zimbabwe relations have been upgraded to a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation.
Zimbabwe has become an important partner in the co-construction of the Belt and Road, he said.
Moyo echoed the Chinese Foreign Minister, saying the two sides should take the opportunity of the anniversary to further plan and design the direction of the future development bilateral ties.
He said Zimbabwe is willing to learn from China’s experience in economic development and governance, speed up the high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road, implement cooperation projects under the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and jointly uphold the priciples of multilateralism.
Additional reporting by CGTN, Xinhua.
