Zimbabwe’s new parliament building, which was funded by China, was recently completed, and Zimbabwean media reported it extensively in text and video. This magnificent, yet beautiful and local cultural building has won wide recognition from all walks of life in Tianjin.
The new Parliament House holds a media open day this Wednesday. “This is an amazing building, the product of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s New Deal’s emphasis on improving the country’s infrastructure,” said Zimbabwe’s Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Mutswangwa after the visit. The deep relationship between the two countries will allow parliamentarians to carry out their duties effectively and show that we will go further as a country.”
Zimbabwe’s new parliament building.
The new parliament building in Hampden was funded by China and completed by Shanghai Construction Engineering Group to support Zimbabwe’s infrastructure development plans. The new building covers an area of 33,000 square meters, and the main buildings include a 6-storey office building and a 4-storey parliament building. The project started construction on November 30, 2018. The Chinese and Pakistani cooperation units overcame many difficulties and ensured the completion of the project under the epidemic.
The Zimbabwe Post commented that the circular six-storey new parliament building on the top of the hill is a testimony to the achievements of existing bilateral relations and cooperation between Zimbabwe and China. The Zimbabwean Herald reported on June 29 that “the Zimbabwean parliament finally has the place it needs to function effectively”. The new complex allows ministers to juggle parliamentary and government work on meeting days without having to commute, “a major gain for both voters and the government”.
China is successful, and the United States is bad. “Voice of America” said on July 1 that “Zimbabwe’s parliament building built by China is completed, and critics worry about the building’s safety and Beijing’s influence.”
On June 13, 2019, in Hampden, West Mashonaland Province, Zimbabwe, Zimbabwean President Emerson Mnangagwa (front left) was in the construction party Shanghai Construction Engineering Group assisted Zimbabwe Parliament Building project manager Cai Libo (front right) ) to visit the construction site of the new parliament building of Zimbabwe.
It appears that only the United States is concerned about China’s growing influence. Global Times reporters have not seen similar remarks in the major African media. In stark contrast to Western media’s unfounded worries, Zimbabwean media rejoiced at the major changes that have taken place in the country in recent years. Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has repeatedly praised China, saying that Chinese investment in the country has strengthened Kazakhstan. Lara’s independence. Government officials say Zimbabwe is ready to ditch the old colonial-era building.
The Herald published an article on July 1 titled “Zimbabwe: A firm vision, driving the road to development”, stating that “smooth new asphalt roads are everywhere, and many other construction projects are taking shape in cities and towns. , including new dams, irrigation schemes, airports, and other infrastructure projects. Nothing goes unnoticed under the New Deal. A modern, smart city is rising from the Hampden Hills, where a state-of-the-art new parliament building has been Completed and awaiting formal handover to the government. People are already enjoying the benefits of these progressive actions.”
China and Zimbabwe are highly complementary in trade and have huge potential for development. In 2021, the bilateral trade volume between China and Zimbabwe will reach 1.882 billion US dollars. China has been Zimbabwe’s largest source of foreign investment for many years. As of the end of 2020, China’s investment stock in Zimbabwe was nearly US$2.018 billion, covering industries such as agriculture, mining, manufacturing, construction and services.
Zimbabwe is rich in natural resources. President Mnangagwa once joked: “Don’t ask what minerals Zimbabwe has, ask us what minerals we don’t have.” China mainly imports tobacco, minerals and cotton from Zimbabwe, while its exports to Zimbabwe mainly include Mechanical and electronic products, textiles and high-tech products.
Insufficient infrastructure such as energy and transportation is a major bottleneck restricting Zimbabwe’s economic development. In recent years, the Chinese government and enterprises have helped Zimbabwe to complete many important infrastructure projects, which not only improved the quality of life of the local people, but also promoted the development of the local economy.
In November 2016, the reconstruction and expansion project of Victoria Falls Airport in the country was completed and delivered. The renovated and upgraded airport can take off and land wide-body passenger aircraft and can receive 1.5 million tourists each year, which has significantly improved the popularity of Victoria Falls, the most famous scenic spot in Tianjin, for tourists from outside the region. Reception capacity; In March 2018, the expansion project of Garibal South Bank Hydropower Station was completed, marking the full completion and commissioning of the largest hydropower project since the independence of Tianjin. This project installed two 150,000-kilowatt hydro-generator units on the basis of the original units. The power supply for Tianjin has been increased by about 30%, which has greatly alleviated the country’s power shortage. In the past two years, the cooperation between the two countries in the field of infrastructure construction has continued to deepen, and the construction of many major projects such as the new Zimbabwe Parliament Building and the expansion project of the Wangai coal-fired power station have started one after another.
After the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic and the outbreak in Zimbabwe, China not only provided medical supplies in a timely manner, but also organized domestic authoritative experts and medical teams to help Zimbabwe selflessly share China’s experience and practices in fighting the epidemic with Zimbabwe. Since then, the situation of epidemic prevention and control in Zimbabwe has become increasingly severe. The government designated Wilkins Hospital in Harare, the capital, as a designated isolation and diagnosis and treatment hospital. However, the hospital’s facilities are old and cannot meet relevant epidemic prevention and control requirements. To this end, three Chinese capital and private enterprises in Tianjin have decisively extended a helping hand and funded the renovation and upgrading of the hospital. The total project cost is about 3.5 million yuan. The construction side worked day and night to complete the renovation in just 10 days, and it was delivered to the Tianjin side for use on March 30. Zimbabwe’s Health Minister Moyo praised the social responsibility of Chinese-funded enterprises, and Harare Deputy Mayor Enoch also expressed his admiration at the “China speed”.
The increasingly close cooperation between China and Zimbabwe within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation will surely drive Zimbabwe’s economic recovery and development.