The new Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Yuan Nansheng presented the credential to President Robert Mugabe and had a brief meeting with him on Thursday.

Yuan told Xinhua in an interview immediately after the meeting that he had a cordial and friendly talk with Mugabe who spoke highly of the new achievements the two countries have made in strengthening the bilateral relations and placed high hope on the expansion of Sino-Zimbabwe cooperation and partnership.

Yuan said the Chinese government and people appreciate the achievements Zimbabwe has made since its independence and hope it will make greater achievements in the future.

"Zimbabwe and China are good friends, intimate brothers and cooperative partners. I believe that we will have a better future for the friendship between the two countries," he said.

The Chinese ambassador, who arrived in Zimbabwe's capital city of Harare on Monday, said this southern African country is more beautiful than he was told, and the city of Harare is tranquil and clean.

The challenges Zimbabwe faces in its path of development will be dealt with in the process of further development, said the ambassador, adding that the development experiences the Chinese government and people have had in the past years may be helpful.

Speaking of the future of the bilateral relations, Yuan said the two countries should further strengthen the friendship and mutual trust in politics, calling for more high-ranking exchange of visits in the coming years.

Economically, he said, the two countries should make greater efforts to promote cooperation in agriculture, energy resources, trade, telecommunications and foreign aid. It is of great significance not only for the economic development of the two countries, but also for their political and social stability, he added.

At the same time, he said, to enhance the cultural exchange between the two countries is also very important, and they should have more people to know each other's culture and history.

The Sino-Zimbabwean trade and economic cooperation present a rosy picture as the Zimbabwean government's Look East policy has created opportunities for the Chinese investors.

Figures from the Chinese embassy showed that the bilateral trade between the two countries hit a new high in 2005, totaling 280 million U.S. dollars, which is very likely to be surpassed this year with the total trade volume in the first eight months this year having reached 210 million dollars.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Zimbabwe, Chinese investment in the country stood at over 600 million dollars so far. To date, there are over 35 Chinese companies operating in Zimbabwe, and the country continues to benefit from increased cooperation and trade with China.

Source: Xinhua