Situation in Zimbabwe monitored

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe inspects a guard of honour at the Heroes' Day commemorations in Harare, Zimbabwe, Aug 13, 2007. [Photo/Agencies]

China and Zimbabwe have maintained a good relationship since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1980.

Shen Xiaolei, a researcher at the Institute of West Asian and African Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the political uncertainties are unlikely to have a major impact on the bilateral relationship, but Chinese companies there might be affected in the short term.

"There does not exist any anti-China faction in Zimbabwe. Both Mugabe and former vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa visited China many times, hold friendly attitudes toward China, and this is unlikely to change in the long term," he said.

According to media reports, there are now about 10,000 Chinese in Zimbabwe, and some State-owned enterprises are working on infrastructure construction projects such as roads and airports there.

"However, due to the sluggish economy in Zimbabwe, some Chinese enterprises already have withdrawn," said Zhang Jin, a professor at Zhejiang Normal University's Institute of African Studies. "So the impact won't be significant."

China is Zimbabwe's largest trading partner.

Muna Mohamed, a scholar at the department of Public Policy and Administration at Kenyatta University in Kenya said he believed that China will maintain its long-held tradition of noninterference. "Whichever the situation, I don't think China will lose Zimbabwe as a friend," he said.