Vaccine
diplomacy
…
Vice
President
Constantino
Chiwenga
receiving
a
consignment
of
donated
Chinese
vaccines
in
Harare
on
Sunday,
September
26,
2021
Zimbabwe
has
warned
Chinese
investors
against
disregarding
local
labour
and
environmental
laws
as
well
as
driving
illicit
financial
activities,
an
unusual
stance
after
months
of
public
complaints.
Harare’s
rebuke
now
upends
Zimbabwe’s
record
as
one
of
the
African
countries
that
have
been
most
receptive
to
investment
from
Beijing,
often
looking
away
when
issues
are
raised.
China
had,
over
the
years,
grown
to
be
the
dominant
source
market
for
investors
into
Zimbabwe
following
the
Southern
African
country’s
isolation
by
the
West
over
two
decades
ago.
Tafadzwa
Muguti,
a
senior
official
in
President
Emmerson
Mnangagwa’s
office,
this
week
took
by
surprise
delegates
at
a
conference
to
discuss
Chinese
investments
in
Harare,
when
he
warned
investors
from
the
Asian
country
to
desist
from
“illicit
financial
activities,
environmental
harm
and
disregard
for
local
laws.”
“The
majority
of
you
(Chinese)
businesspeople
are
not
banking
(money),”
Mr
Muguti
told
the
China-Zimbabwe
Business
Forum
on
Wednesday.
“You
do
not
have
bank
accounts.
…Critics
have
long
raised
concerns
about
Chinese
investors’
alleged
disregard
for
local
labour
and
environmental
laws,
but
Harare
has
frequently
defended
them.
The
government
has
in
the
past
accused
those
who
are
critical
of
the
conduct
of
Chinese
investors
of
being
agents
of
the
West,
trying
to
disrupt
the
flow
of
investment
from
a
reliable
ally.
Zimbabwe
has
battled
a
currency
crisis
for
nearly
two
decades
that
saw
the
country
abandon
the
local
unit
in
2009
in
favour
of
a
basket
of
currencies
dominated
by
the
US
dollar.
The
country
has
since
then
made
six
attempts
to
revive
the
Zimbabwe
dollar
with
the
latest
attempt
being
the
mineral-based
Zimbabwe
Gold
currency
introduced
a
year
ago.
Most
businesspeople,
especially
foreigners,
are
hesitant
to
use
local
banks
because
of
uncertainties
surrounding
the
country’s
monetary
policies
and
the
challenges
associated
with
repatriating
their
profits
from
Zimbabwe.
…Chinese
companies
have
been
caught
mining
in
Zimbabwe’s
game
reserves
after
obtaining
licences
in
unclear
circumstances
while
others
are
involved
in
riverbed
mining,
leading
to
massive
destruction
of
the
water
courses…There
are
also
several
cases
of
Chinese
mining
companies
that
are
locked
in
conflicts
with
local
communities
after
being
accused
of
invading
ancestral
lands
and
desecrating
graves.
“We
are
noticing
that
some
Chinese
companies
are
digging
up
our
ancestors’
graves
to
extract
granite
or
gold,”
Mr
Muguti
said.
“Some
of
them
are
picking
the
bones
and
putting
them
aside
to
start
digging.
That’s
the
greatest
disrespect
to
any
person,
even
in
your
culture.
So,
if
we
are
not
patient
with
one
another,
then
we
can’t
work
together.”
Steve
Zhao,
CEO
of
China-Zimbabwe
Exchange
Centre,
which
represents
the
interests
of
Chinese
nationals,
said
most
of
the
problems
were
caused
by
bureaucratic
bottlenecks.
“Chinese
companies
are
facing
a
lot
of
trouble,”
Mr
Zhao
said.
Post
published
in:
Business