National flag of the Republic of Zimbabwe

National emblem of the Republic of Zimbabwe

    A landlocked country in the southern part of the African continent, the Republic of Zimbabwe covers an area of 390,000 square km and has a population of 13.1 million, most of whom believe in Christian, primitive religions and Islam. English, Shona and Sindebele are the official languages. Harare is the national capital. The current president is Robert Mugabe.

    China has rendered strong support to the Zimbabwean people in their struggle for national independency. The two countries established diplomatic relations on the very day when Zimbawe declared independence on April 18, 1980. Since then bilateral relations have been growing smoothly. The two countries have signed a cultural cooperation agreement and an agreement on cooperation in college. Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, visited Zimbabwe in 2004. Zimbabwean President Mugabe visited China in 2005. Zimbabwe has become a destination country for Chinese citizens and tourist groups. Non-stop flights from Harare to Beijing are available. Bilateral trade reached 283 million U.S. dollars in 2005.