ZANU PF Economic Mission to China Targets Value Addition as Trade Surpasses US$2.4 Billion
By Staff Reporter
HUIZHOU, China– ZANU PF National Secretary for Economic Affairs, Cde Lt Gen (Rtd) Dr. Engelbert A. Rugeje, is leading a high-powered delegation on a strategic investment mission across the People’s Republic of China, aimed at securing mid-to-downstream industrial partnerships for Zimbabwe’s mineral wealth.
The mission comes at a critical juncture in the bilateral relationship, as trade between the two nations has reached historic highs.
Recent data indicates that Zimbabwe’s exports to China surged to US$2.44 billion in 2024, a massive leap from US$766 million in 2015. With China currently absorbing over 90% of Zimbabwe’s mineral exports, the ruling party is moving to ensure this trade volume shifts from raw commodities to high-value processed goods.
Following the Government’s ban on the export of raw natural resources, the delegation is focused on attracting global players to the country’s newly established Special Economic Zones (SEZs) to set up beneficiation infrastructure.
Accompanying Dr. Rugeje are ZANU PF Director for Economic Affairs, Hon. Anastancia Ndhlovu, and senior government technical experts, including Mashonaland Central Provincial Mining Director Mr. Tendai Kashiri and Metallurgist Mr. Taurai Blessing Dhliwayo, the Deputy Director for Research, Value Addition, and Beneficiation in the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development.
In Huizhou, the delegation engaged in high-level talks with the Huizhou International Gemstones Association, led by its President, Mr. Ye Shudong, and Vice President Dr. Su Xilong. The Zimbabwean team toured the complete gemstone value chain, observing the transformation of raw stones into high-end jewelry, tiles, and specialized building materials. Crucially, the mission also inspected manufacturing plants for value-addition equipment, signaling the ZANU PF Government’s intent to import the technology necessary to process minerals domestically.
“This is a deliberate policy decision taken by His Excellency President Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa’s ZANU PF Government to promote value addition and beneficiation of our abundant resources,” Dr. Rugeje stated. He noted that the mission is a direct extension of the ‘Zimbabwe Is Open for Business’ mantra and a promotion of the new SEZs launched across multiple provinces in 2026 by the Minister of Finance, Economic Development, and Investment Promotion, Hon. Prof. Mthuli Ncube.
With Zimbabwe’s mining sector projected to reach an export value of US$6 billion by the end of 2025, the delegation also prioritized the green energy transition. They visited UBETTER Technology Company Limited, a leading lithium battery assembly plant, underscoring Zimbabwe’s ambition to move beyond lithium mining and into the manufacturing of core battery solutions.
Dr. Xilong Su, a renowned gemstones expert, expressed confidence in the initiative, stating that Zimbabwe possesses the potential to emerge as the Southern African hub for gemstone processing.
The delegation is scheduled to travel from Huizhou to Guangzhou for further engagements with industrial leaders. This mission marks a significant step by ZANU PF, through its Department of Economic Affairs, to transition Zimbabwe from a raw material exporter to a diversified industrial economy.
