Tapiwa Chirume
STAFF WRITER
ZIMBABWE and China reaffirmed their strategic military partnership in Harare yesterday during celebrations to mark the 99th anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
Chinese ambassador, Zhou Ding, and defence attaché, Senior Colonel Wang Zhenyu, hosted senior government ministers, Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) commanders and liberation war veterans as they celebrated the anniversary.
Zhou highlighted the deep-rooted bonds between the two nations, noting further that China had stood alongside Zimbabwe during its liberation struggle by providing weapons, training and strategic doctrines.
“China stood firmly alongside Zimbabwe throughout its arduous liberation struggle … offering not only diplomatic backing and weapons assistance, but above all, a people-centred revolutionary philosophy,” he added.
As he said this, Zhou quoted the Shona proverb “simba rehove riri mumvura” (the strength of the fish comes from the water) to illustrate the importance of strong links between a country’s military and the public.
He also noted that recent high-level exchanges between the two countries, including President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s visits to China and President Xi Jinping’s correspondence with Zimbabwean veterans, demonstrated an enduring all-weather alliance.
Beyond security cooperation, Zhou also highlighted China’s role as Zimbabwe’s primary foreign investor, in which the East Asian giant is aiding national industrialisation through steel, power and infrastructure projects, while backing Harare’s 2027/2028 UN Security Council non-permanent seat bid.
Wang went on to detail the PLA’s historical journey since the 1927 Nanchang Uprising, and its modern commitment to international stability through President Xi Jinping’s Global Security Initiative.
He also cited China’s deployment of more than 50 000 peacekeepers across 26 UN missions over 36 years, as well as the ongoing naval escort operations in the Gulf of Aden.
“The Chinese military stands ready to continue enhancing cooperation with the Zimbabwe Defence Forces across various fields — including high-level visits, education and training, military equipment cooperation and joint exercises,” Wang said.
China also reaffirmed that as Zimbabwe advanced its National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) and Vision 2030, Beijing would remain a steadfast partner in the country’s defence modernisation, regional stability and economic growth.