HARARE, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- China and Zimbabwe have reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral economic and trade ties at the 11th Session of the Joint Commission on Economic, Technical and Trade Cooperation in the Zimbabwean capital of Harare.
The session, held on Wednesday and co-chaired by Zimbabwean Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Amon Murwira and Chinese Assistant Minister of Commerce Zhang Li, provided a platform to translate existing bilateral agreements between the two countries into tangible economic opportunities, including increased trade and investment, value addition and job creation.
Both sides agreed to fully implement the 10 partnership actions initiated at the 2024 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, further expand and optimize bilateral trade, and accelerate negotiations on the Economic Partnership for Shared Development agreement.
They also agreed to encourage more Chinese enterprises to invest and operate in Zimbabwe, support Zimbabwe in extending and upgrading its mining industrial chain, and advance industrial upgrading.
Murwira said China and Zimbabwe enjoy a long-standing friendship based on mutual respect and strategic partnership, noting that the partnership has delivered monumental development across critical sectors of Zimbabwe's economy, including energy generation, agricultural productivity, and infrastructure.
"Zimbabwe is committed to expanding trade, promoting investment, and strengthening economic linkages between our two countries," Murwira said.
He also welcomed China's zero-tariff treatment for 53 African countries, which presents vast opportunities to expand local exports, as demonstrated by Zimbabwe's first blueberry consignment to China in July.
For his part, Zhang commended the expanding bilateral trade and Zimbabwe's growing exports to China, noting that Zimbabwe has become a major African destination for Chinese investment.
China stands ready to work closely with Zimbabwe to translate all consensus into concrete actions and steadily advance the high-quality development of bilateral economic and trade cooperation, said Zhang. ■
