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Assisting a tyrant: China's helping hand to Robert Mugabe
By Miriam Mannak
According to a recently published report by the United Nations (UN), the Zimbabwean government has receieved weapons from China in 2007. The arms were distributed to Harare via the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Sudan - two of Africa's most problematic countries as well as Bejing's major African economic partners.
The document, which was released in the third week of December 2008, states that at least four Boeing flights took place between Kinshasa, Harare and Lubumbashi. The aircrafts transported a total of 53 tons of ammunition and arms destined to the Zimbabwean army between August 20 and 22, 2007.
It is not the first time China sent weapons to Zimbabwe. Earlier that year, a cargo ship carrying arms for Zimbabwe had to sail back to Bejing after it was denied to dock in both South Africa and Angola. In 2004, the government led by president Robert Mugabe ordered a Chinese fighter jet and other military equipment wiorth $200 million.
"While this is not a violation of the arms embargo, it is an indication that the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) could become a transit point for weapons destined for other countries," the UN report stated.
In March this year, the UN put an arms embargo in place to target the various armed groups in eastern DRC, in an attempt to curb the violence. The embargo does not target the government's forces, which are also involved in a conflict that has killed 5 million people over the past decade.
One of the conditions that the government forces (FADRC) do not redistribute arms obtained to another party.
China has been involved in Zimbabwe, Sudan and the DRC for the past years. Earlier this year, Bejing and the DRC agreed upon a $9 billion deal to restore the country's infrastructure and mining industry. When it comes to Sudan - 70 percent of the war tormented region of goes straight to China, which has also invested in various infrastructure projects in Zimbabwe.


Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (4)
at 01:26 on December 23rd, 2008
Why doesn't China seem to care about selling arms to a ruthless regime? Has the point arrived where we should start boycotting Chinese goods?
at 02:16 on December 23rd, 2008
Boycotting Chinese products will not work, not that easily that is. I bet that 80% of most people's wardrobes is made in China. For instance. The same counts for a gazillion of other products such as computers and computers accesories. The Dell computer am working on, has been made in CHina, so is my mouse, myvpice recorder, canon camera, etc etc. Boycoting will work if companies move their factories from China to elsewhere. These enterprises will not do this - things in China are done for a fraction of the price when compared to other countries. Yup - money talks.
at 03:17 on December 23rd, 2008
Yes china really should have a market, they are such good people & all them trillions of $ that they get, they are doing such good think, I mean they are not building up there army out of this world,,? yes they are and its at the same speed as the Nazis did in ww2 if not faster, i mean they are not trying to learn how to take out satellites so they could nock out Americans GPS for all there war ship ever think,,? yes they are.
They are not snaking up on American war ships to test them to see there defences?
Yes they are & why would you even do that,, lets not forget that America let china have a market, if America did not they would have no money at all, so china can not say its because of America,,, why would America give china a market to make trillions of $ & to take away work / money from there own country,,, what to let them build weapons out of this world, build new EMP weapons, to hack the Americas army’s computers to learn how to make them collapse & fuc& up, so to fuc& them up in a time of war,, what are they planing, why are they doing all this shi% 10 times more then the Nazis did,,
Why are they building under ground sub bases,,, to stop a nuclear attack on them,,, why are they doing this,,,,,?
Its because they 100% are building up there army to start a war in time, they are going to attack when they are stroge, what we are doing now is paying for them to start ww3 & wipe out 100ds of millions of people..
The thing is with everyone, everyone is so dum, everyone can clearly see what they are doing, but its like dum people don’t think about it unto it happened,,, just like life, dieing, when you get old, everyone is putting that in the back of there heads, & think about,,,,,,
Every one is doping that right now, with Chinas, never seen the biggest build up of arms in the world ever and are going to wipe out the world if not half of the world.
Like I said America did not have to give them a market to make trillions of $, so china can not say that they are doing all this stuff to prevent a attack from America,, dar dar,,,
Russia market got cut off for the same reason, putin is the worlds most evilest men, he would of started ww3 100%, but now that there market is so bad he does not have the time to get the money and build up a army & hitec weapons in time, he is 55 years old so he had about 20 years at most really to do that, he was doing that & now there market is gone, no money to build them start wars weapons..
China must be next before its to late………………..
Just think how they are,, any one says anything about china government they will band them from coming, just like the French president, made them comments, china said we will band you, stop you selling your goods pretty much..
If they don’t get there way now, watch out,,,
Cnn made comments about them, the same day hackers from china shut down cnn on line,,,,,, just wait to they have all there weapons, piss them of over something small & they will declare war,,,
I think it will be just like ww2, first small so called territories like Hitler did, then bigger bigger then Indian Taiwan & the world with there start wars weapons…
Months before they said any think about what Indian & china did with there joint military, I said I bet they will say lets show all of all weapons, & china would show there old weapons and look at India’s new weapons,, I said it I first heard about them just going to holed military x esizes, they did not say ay think about showing there weapons,, I picked it before hand, & what do you no, they did say lets show each others best hi-tech weapons/// funny that..
I righted on blogs / web sites, saying that 4 months before they did say any thing about showing there weapons to each other.
at 10:10 on December 23rd, 2008
Great piece - thanks for this.