Zimbabwe coup: Did CHINA influence military takeover from Robert Mugabe?
ZIMBABWE’S military chief behind the coup may have sought China’s approval during a trip to Beiing last week, it has been revealed.
China’s Foreign Ministry tried to dismiss the visit as a “normal military exchange” on Wednesday, after the army seized power in the African country.
Zimbabwe's military took control targeting "criminals" around president Robert Mugabe but gave assurances on national television that the 93-year-old leader and his family were "safe and sound".
Mr Mugabe remains under house arrest but is, for the moment, still President of Zimbabwe while the army’s generals now hold power.
General Constantino Chiwenga met Chinese Defence Minister Chang Wanquan in Beijing on Friday, where Chang expressed a willingness to promote relations with Zimbabwe, China's Defence Ministry said in a short statement last week, which has sparked concerns over the influence China may have over the former British colony.
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The ministry showed a picture of the two men, both wearing military uniforms, shaking hands, and an officer from both countries sitting opposite each other holding a meeting at the People's Liberation Army headquarters in Beijing.
Asked whether Chiwenga had briefed China on plans to seize power, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the Defence Ministry had already released information about his trip and that he didn't have an understanding about the specifics of his reception in China.
Mr Geng said: ”I can only tell you that his visit to China this time was a normal military exchange mutually agreed upon by China and Zimbabwe,” referring other questions to the Defence Ministry, which has yet to respond to a request for comment.
Zimbabwe coup in pictures: Striking images show army grasping power from Robert Mugabe
Thu, November 16, 2017In order to prevent members of the public from passing through. The Zimbabwe National Army has reportedly taken control over the government of President Robert Mugabe
A man walks past a military tank parked on the side of a street in the Zimbabwean capital Harare on November 16, 2017, a day after the military announced plans to arrest
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He added: ”As a country that is friendly with Zimbabwe, we are paying close attention to developments of the situation in Zimbabwe.
"Maintaining peaceful and stable development accords with the fundamental interests of Zimbabwe and regional countries, and is the common desire of the international community. We hope the relevant parties in Zimbabwe appropriately handle their internal matters."
China and Zimbabwe have a close diplomatic and economic relationship and Beijing has stood with Mr Mugabe's government in the face of Western economic sanctions.
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AFP
In August, Zimbabwe's government said a Chinese company planned to invest up to $2billion to revive operations at Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company (ZISCO), which ceased production in 2008 at the height of Zimbabwe's economic meltdown.
That same year, China vetoed a proposed Western-backed UN resolution which would have imposed an arms embargo on Zimbabwe and financial and travel restrictions on Mugabe and 13 other officials, saying it would "complicate", rather than ease, conflict.
China, which has displaced Western rivals to become Africa’s largest trading partner and is a major investor in Zimbabwe, notably declined to call for Mr Mugabe’s restoration yesterday, despite his long ties to Beijing dating back to the Cold War.
