For years, Zimbabwe\u2019s long-time president Robert Mugabe has looked East for valuable Chinese investment to bolster his country\u2019s sinking economy. But as China’s economy slowdowns, Zimbabwe may soon need a new saviour to protect it from a rising wave of debt, unemployment, famine and economic recession.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Chinese are not going to rescue the economy for [Mugabe],\u201d said Stephen Chan, who returned from Zimbabwe last week and is a professor of international relations at the University of London\u2019s School of Oriental and African Studies. \u201cI think people are very, very concerned.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mugabe, who has seen Zimbabwe\u2019s economic growth expand and contract since taking power in 1980, outlined reforms to parliament last week that promised to attract more investment and create jobs. He cited key projects with China in energy, railways, telecommunications, water, mining, agriculture and tourism sectors.<\/p>\n
Now aged 91, Mugabe also said he welcomed re-engagement with the West and multilateral financial bodies like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, as Zimbabwe seeks to mend relations with lenders and secure fresh capital to revive its economy after years of alleged human rights violations, Reuters reported.<\/p>\n
But China\u2019s devalued yuan has caused commodity prices to dip and the Chinese have refrained from committing to large new investment in Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n
Mugabe returned from a visit to Beijing last year with few commitments for additional aid or investment, while Chinese and other Asian shares fell again Monday as global concerns about the health of China\u2019s economy continued and hit markets around the world.<\/p>\n
Other international lenders have also rejected Mugabe’s loan requests due to outstanding arrears. The Zimbabwean government currently owes the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other lenders about $9 billion.<\/p>\n
Zimbabwe is still wheeling from the catastrophic recession between 2000 and 2008, in part because the government failed to increase transparency in diamond production and revenue collection, which has affected its ability to invest in essential public services like water, education, sanitation and health. The volatile commercial climate has dissuaded further investment and loan commitments across East and West, experts said.<\/p>\n
\u201c[The Chinese] don\u2019t see the kind of financial transparency they\u2019d like to see in the Zimbabwean government, so they\u2019re not going to throw good money into a hole they can\u2019t monitor,\u201d said Chan, whose research includes international politics in southern Africa.<\/p>\n
\u201cEuropeans are prepared to start reinvesting, but not on the kind of scale that\u2019s required to jump start Zimbabwe\u2019s economy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Life Is Going To Get Much Harder\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n After the worst regional drought in nearly a decade and devastating crop failures, Zimbabwe\u2019s 2015 harvest is forecast at 950,000 metric tons of maize, which is far less than the 1.8 million metric tons the population needs.<\/p>\n Around 16 percent of Zimbabwe\u2019s population will lack reliable access to sufficient food later this year, according to the United Nations World Food Program. The country now plans to pay $168 million to import 700,000 tons of white maize this year to feed those facing famine in the coming months.<\/p>\n More than 20,000 workers have lost their jobs in Zimbabwe over the past few weeks and the country\u2019s earlier 3.2 percent economic growth forecast for 215 was slashed to just 1.5 percent in July, according to Reuters.<\/p>\n In a 10-point plan for economic growth, Mugabe last week vowed to boost agricultural development, private sector investment and to tackle corruption. He also agreed Sunday to relax his controversial land reform program to attract more investors.<\/p>\n However, survey results released last week by the Mass Public Opinion Institute in Zimbabwe\u2019s capital Harare indicated the general public thinks the country\u2019s economic conditions remain \u201cgloomy\u201d and they don\u2019t believe in Mugabe\u2019s promises of an economic revival.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople are concerned about returning to the terrible times of 2008, but that won\u2019t happen in the same way since they no longer use the Zimbabwean dollar,\u201d Chan said in a telephone interview Monday. \u201cDefinitely for the average person, life is going to get much harder.\u201d<\/p>\n China-Zimbabwe Relations<\/strong><\/p>\n China has long been Zimbabwe\u2019s biggest economic partner, with bilateral trade totalling over $1 billion annually.<\/p>\n Zimbabwe, rich in mineral resources, is within the top 10 destination countries for Chinese direct investment in Africa, according to a research paper published this month by the Brookings Institution think tank in Washington, D.C. China has provided Zimbabwe with low-interest loans and investment focused on mining development, agriculture, infrastructure projects and information communication technology.<\/p>\n While most Western leaders have shunned Mugabe, Chinese President Xi Jinping has hailed the Zimbabwean president as \u201can old friend of the Chinese people who we respect very much.\u201d<\/p>\n But Chinese investment to Zimbabwe is dwindling as Beijing braces for an economic slowdown. Without fresh capital, the government will struggle to maintain vital public services and afford basic expenses, such as civil service salaries, experts said.<\/p>\n Even with China’s help, Zimbabwe\u2019s economic climate is unlikely to change under Mugabe, who has insisted he will run again in 2018 and warned his ruling Zanu PF against choosing any successor.<\/p>\n \u201cAs long as [Mugabe] is there, no matter what he does \u2013 good or bad \u2013 he is personally the obstacle. No one wants to put big money as long as he\u2019s the president,\u201d Chan said. \u201cThings will go downwards.\u201d<\/p>\n This article was originally published by the International Business Times.<\/p>\n