Mukudzei Chingwere in BEIJING, China
VICE President Dr Constantino Chiwenga is expected here today for a working visit aimed at canvassing value-addition investment into Zimbabwe as the economy continues its push towards sustainable upper-middle-income status.
Government’s thrust towards value addition-backed growth comes on the back of major gains in primary goods production as well as the extractive sector.
Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to China Abigail Shoniwa confirmed the Vice President’s itinerary, which she said will be anchored by the 2026 Xiongan Digital Trade Innovation and Development Conference and meeting prospective investors in Zhejiang Province.
“We are expecting the Vice President to arrive in China on a working visit on Tuesday (today). He is leading a delegation that includes the business community from Zimbabwe,” said Ambassador Shoniwa.
“During his visit he will be attending the 13th China International Fair for Trade in Services CIFITS (2026), he will also attend and address a conference on Innovation and Development of Digital trade in Xionga, Beijing.
“He will also visit Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou City and Hanzhou where he will continue with the company tours and engagements, he will also address the Zim-China Business Forum in Hanzhou,” said Ambassador Shoniwa.
She said that, in addition to engaging with the business community, the Vice President is also expected to meet Chinese government officials.
CIFITS is expected to attract at least 90 countries, with up to 250 000 delegates anticipated for this year’s edition. Zimbabwe is among the participating countries.
The visit comes as Zimbabwe seeks to move its relationship with China beyond the traditional exchange of raw materials for finished products and towards investment in domestic processing, manufacturing, technology transfer and employment creation.
Central to VP Chiwenga’s engagements will be Zimbabwe’s policy of restricting the export of selected unprocessed minerals and encouraging investors to establish value-addition and beneficiation facilities inside the country.
The policy is anchored on the Government’s position that Zimbabwe should derive greater economic value from its vast mineral endowment.
Rather than exporting raw minerals and effectively transferring jobs and industrial opportunities abroad, authorities want processing to take place locally, creating employment, developing skills, expanding industrial capacity and increasing the value and earnings derived from Zimbabwe’s mineral resources.
Trade between Harare and Beijing has expanded sharply.
Zimbabwe’s exports to China increased from US$256 million in 2021 to about US$1,36 billion in 2025 – growth of approximately 431 percent.
Tobacco accounted for US$562 million in 2025, while mineral-related exports included US$384 million in salt, sulphur, earths and stone, US$242 million in iron and steel and US$168 million in ores, slag and ash.
However, the composition of the above exports illustrates the challenge VP Chiwenga is expected to address, Zimbabwe’s exports remain heavily concentrated in primary commodities, with limited diversification and value addition.
Zimbabwe, meanwhile, imported US$1,62 billion worth of goods from China in 2025, up from US$920 million in 2021. Machinery and mechanical appliances alone accounted for US$486 million, while electrical machinery reached US$233 million and vehicles US$164 million.
The figures provide the backdrop to Harare’s push for Chinese capital, machinery and technology to be increasingly deployed in productive industries within Zimbabwe.
“Zimbabwe wants to tap from China’s value addition capacity and its infrastructure development prowess,” said Ambassador Shoniwa.
“We are looking for investment in key economic sectors as guided by National Development Strategy 2, and these areas include infrastructure development, agriculture, production, agro-processing, agricultural machinery, new energy power generation, auto industry, ICT, the health sector.
“This visit is aimed at building up investment cooperation in the sectors that I have just highlighted. We anticipate more investments to come to Zimbabwe from this visit,” said Ambassador Shoniwa.
Zhejiang Province is expected to provide a particularly important platform for that message. The province has strengths in advanced manufacturing, the digital economy, new energy and lithium and mineral processing.
Zhejiang-linked companies already have major investments in Zimbabwe, including Tsingshan’s steel manufacturing operations and Huayou Cobalt’s investment in the Arcadia lithium mine and associated processing.
VP Chiwenga is expected to participate in activities around the 2026 Xiongan Digital Trade Innovation and Development Conference, an official featured forum of the China International Fair for Trade in Services.
The conference will bring together multinational companies, major Chinese enterprises, digital technology firms, experts, investment institutions and international organisations.
His visit to Xiongan will expose the Zimbabwean delegation to one of China’s flagship new urban and technological development zones.
Located about 105km from Beijing, Xiongan has attracted more than 400 branches of central State-owned enterprises and over 4 000 companies originating from Beijing, with priority sectors including artificial intelligence, digital technology, clean energy, satellite internet and fintech.
Beyond minerals, Zimbabwe is also seeking greater access to the vast Chinese market for agricultural and other products, with opportunities in citrus, macadamia nuts, sesame, coffee, tea and spices, alongside the need for greater Chinese investment in Zimbabwean value chains.
Ambassador Shoniwa said the 2026 CIFTIS, to be held from September 9 to 13 at Shougang Park in Beijing, China, will help Zimbabwe to network and see what others are doing.
“The fair will feature service trade-themed activities, including exhibitions, business promotion events, achievement releases, and supporting events and Zimbabwe will have a stand.”
Source: VP Chiwenga heads to China for value addition, investment quest – herald
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