China says its loans to African countries are beneficial and promises not to interfere in the internal politics of those it gives loans to. In Zimbabwe, however, Chinese investors work with the ruling elites to clinch big business deals.

“[China’s] political influence in Zimbabwe is continuously increasing, especially post-2017 military-assisted coup to remove former president Robert Mugabe,” Patrick Bond, professor of economist at the University of Johannesburg, said while presenting a paper on China in Southern Africa, during a policy discussion in March by the Public Policy Research Institute of Zimbabwe (PPRIZ).

Looting and imperialism

Politically, China could have endorsed the coup that removed Mugabe after the late Zimbabwean leader complained about looting at Zimbabwe’s rich diamond fields in Marange, in the Eastern parts of Zimbabwe.

“Mugabe said $15bn diamond revenue was looted in Marange and only $2bn came back. In 2017, Zimbabwe’s Vice President Constantino Chiwenga met Chinese Defence minister Chang Wanquan days before the coup which removed Mugabe, and after the coup, China endorsed President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Chiwenga because Mugabe was angry that a lot of diamond revenue had been looted. During Mnangagwa’s leadership more mining deals have been secured by China,” Bond tells The Africa Report.

Before Mugabe complained about the $15bn missing diamond revenue, nine diamond mining companies had been removed from the Marange area. These included Chinese mining companies Anjin and Jinan.

After Mugabe’s removal, China’s influence grew in the mining and construction sectors in Zimbabwe. China also donated $100m for the new Parliament of Zimbabwe building.

All weather friends

Zimbabwe is one of the 14 countries China considers an all-weather friend. China is Zimbabwe’s biggest foreign investor, controlling 90% of its mining industry after the southern African country adopted a look East policy to bust sanctions.

In 2023, Mnangagwa’s government issued 427 business licences to Chinese companies more than any other listed nationality. The licences were mostly in mining.

Bond says China’s presence in Zimbabwe has features that show the country is suffering from a resource curse, adding that there are poorly regulated mineral extraction policies, and China gains more than Zimbabwe from mining deals.

“There is a trail of destruction that  includes land degradation, pollution of air and water, displacements, gender violence, workplace disputes and safety, imperial, sub-imperial and local turf conflicts, wealth depletion and fossil fuel emissions by Chinese companies.”

No benefits from China

As China’s presence in Africa grows, the benefits that Africa is getting are being questioned by analysts, particularly in countries like South Africa.

“Despite South Africa being a fellow member of BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa bloc –  Beijing’s trade, investment and financing activities in the post-apartheid economy, society and natural environment have been characterised by severe disputes, corruption, odious debt, de-industrialisation and infrastructural underdevelopment,” Bond says.

“Also, when it comes to trade-catalysed de-industrialisation, South Africa’s imports from China and other East Asian economies – mainly through the Durban port – have, since the early 1990s been the main contributor to the closure of South Africa’s labour-intensive clothing, textile, footwear, appliance and electronic sectors.”

Communist ideology entrenchment

Africa must ask why China has chosen the continent to use its influence to construct infrastructure, roads and buildings in exchange for minerals, says Zambian international relations expert Levy Joshua Makayi.

He tells The Africa Report that African countries have poor investment policies with China, resulting in huge losses.

“African countries must ask themselves why China has acquired 17% of the 30.3 square kilometres of African land for their use. If the Chinese are left to continue with their unfair investments, Africa will lose resources and we will end up in a debt trap because many countries are depending on China for investments.

“There is no production and most African countries depend on Chinese imported products. States, communities, local companies and African economies and their currencies are collapsing and are affected by Chinese trade. African leaders need clear policy direction to deal with China,” Makayi says.

According to him, Southern African countries have de-industrialised, and China is taking advantage of the situation by bringing in massive imports of cheap products and taking raw minerals out of Africa, value-adding them, and bringing them back as finished products.

“In Zambia, President Hakainde Hichilema’s government has developed policies to prevent environmental degradation, forest protection and pollution control by Chinese investors.

“Most countries in Africa see China as an economic saviour, innovator in energy and construction, big investor, aid provider and debt negotiator. But some Chinese investments in African countries are not well negotiated. They are doing business in Africa with little benefits for Africa. They are also entrenching communist ideologies in Africa.”

In Namibia, the government had to order police to stop Chinese miners Xinfeng Investments from transporting lithium ore inside the country and from exporting it as this violated the country’s ban on exports of raw materials.

Chinese cultural imperialism

Zimbabwean opposition legislator Dissent Collins Bajila says China is also emerging as a semi-imperialist, accusing it of imposing its culture and languages in African countries where it has influence.

“The extent to which they have been pushing their business interests and Chinese culture in Southern Africa in the past 10 years has resulted in several education institutions teaching Mandarin in the same manner that colonialists taught Africans their languages,” Bajila says.

“The $2.8bn investments in Zimbabwe and $411m investments in lithium mining by the Chinese are not about developing Zimbabwe, but are about competing with other developed countries in getting resources for the development of clean energy technology like batteries.”

In its recent statement on Sino-Zimbabwe relations, China denied reports of exploitation and land degradation and said it has been investing in Zimbabwe in accordance with the country’s laws and policies, making considerable contributions to Zimbabwe’s economy, job creation and technological advances.

Bond says there are some good aspects about China, citing its Covid-19 assistance to African countries, among others.

But other analysts say China used its SinoVac and SinoPharm vaccine donations as a tool for global influence.