China 'trusts Zim govt'
2005-07-26 09:31
Special Report
A classical music presenter for the BBC has been arrested and is in custody in Zimbabwe.
Beijing - China is committed to aiding Zimbabwe's economic growth while staying out of its internal affairs, the government said on Tuesday as the Chinese president prepared to meet with visiting Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.
Mugabe was in Beijing apparently seeking aid and investment for his struggling economy. He blames the crisis on Western sanctions imposed in response to human rights abuses.
He was to meet Chinese President Hu Jintao later on Tuesday.
China's Foreign Ministry, in a statement, said it "doesn't interfere in another country's internal policies."
China "trusts Zimbabwe's government and people have the ability to deal properly with their own matters," the statement said.
"Since China and Zimbabwe established diplomatic relations, the Chinese side has consistently provided aid and supported economic and social development as it can," it added.
The two countries set up relations in 1980.
According to Zimbabwean government figures, China has entered joint ventures and loan agreements with Zimbabwe worth $100m since 1980 and has assisted in the training of the national army.
Mugabe's "Look East" policy seeks aid from China and other Asian countries that are less likely to raise human rights concerns.
China is reported to covet mining rights in Zimbabwe as it trawls the globe for raw materials to feed its economic boom.
The Chinese ministry statement, issued in response to questions, didn't say what trade or investment deals Beijing was seeking during Mugabe's visit, which began on Saturday.
New Zealand is calling on Beijing to change the way it gives aid to Zimbabwe to ensure the money gets to those who need it and isn't funnelled to the Mugabe regime.
Zimbabwe has suffered five years of steep economic decline since the government began seizing white-owned farms to give to landless blacks. Some of the best farms have ended up in the hands of ruling party officials.
More recently, Mugabe has come under fire from the United Nations for what his government calls an urban clean-up drive that has seen the demolition of shantytowns where tens of thousands of Zimbabweans live and work.
- AP