Zimbabwe offers strong story of progress

Resource-rich Zimbabwe has great partnership potential with China, officials from both nations said at a promotion seminar at the China International Fair for Investment and Trade on Saturday in Xiamen.

The seminar, themed "Zimbabwe - your business partner in southern Africa", tells "a Zimbabwe story of trade and investment opportunities", said Walter Chidakwa, Zimbabwe's deputy minister of state enterprises and parastatals.

The Zimbabwean economy is recovering and has "registered impressive growth over the past three years", he said.

China is Africa's largest trade partner, as well as one of its most important investment sources and aid providers. Africa is emerging as an important base for China to expand international business relationships and one of the most attractive investment destinations for Chinese companies.

"Along with China's reform and opening-up over recent decades and the economic development of African nations, Sino-African mutual interest and demand is increasing, and the potential of trade cooperation is expanding," said Yao Jinglin, director of the investment promotion agency at China's Ministry of Commerce.

Zimbabwe has brought a number of projects seeking investment to the fair in Xiamen this year in a wide range of categories, such as auto manufacturing, air transportation, food processing, mining and infrastructure.

Many other countries, including the United States, India, Egypt, Poland and Russia, have also sent delegations to the fair in search of investment and partnership opportunities for projects.

Italy is promoting its Marche Region as a major investment destination.

"Italy doesn't need to promote. It just delivers," said Marinella Loddo, an Italian Trade Commission official in charge of industrial collaboration.

The Marche Region has "a dynamic production system", said Loddo, especially in a number of key sectors such as leather, shoes and accessories, fashion, furniture, machinery and shipbuilding.

The main investment opportunities in Italy lie in power generation - such as the solar sector - manufacturing and R&D in high-tech industries.