Chinese investment in Zimbabwe is taking a decisive turn toward industrialisation, with Ambassador Zhou Ding revealing that one-third of the nearly 500 new Chinese firms registered this year are in manufacturing.
The figures, announced at the ZNCC Business Review Conference in Harare, signal a pivot from the long-dominant mining sector to value addition and domestic production.
Zhou told business leaders that the new companies carry a combined projected investment of US$2.5 billion, making China Zimbabwe’s biggest and most ambitious source of capital in 2025.
He said this shift aligns with both China’s upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan and Zimbabwe’s NDS2 push for beneficiation, productivity and export-driven growth.
The clearest examples of the pivot are already visible. Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe is operating the country’s first lithium sulphate plant in Mashonaland East while additional lithium processing facilities are being established in Masvingo and Manicaland.
The Dinson Iron and Steel Company in the Midlands now anchors steel production and supply chains, while large cement and fertiliser factories are rising across the country. Zhou described these facilities as job-creating, tax-generating and essential for rebuilding Zimbabwe’s industrial base.
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He also noted that Zimbabwe and China doubled bilateral trade from US$1.9 billion in 2021 to US$3.8 billion in 2024, driven partly by tobacco exports worth nearly US$800 million this year.
China’s zero-tariff window for 53 African countries, including Zimbabwe, is expected to accelerate agricultural and manufactured exports once implementation begins.
The ambassador said major projects completed in recent years, including Hwange Units 7 and 8, the upgraded RGM International Airport and the NetOne Broadband Phase III rollout, formed a foundation for deeper cooperation in power, digital infrastructure and skills development.
He encouraged Chinese companies to integrate their strategies with Zimbabwe’s NDS2 priorities while assuring stricter compliance with local regulations and closer engagement with business associations such as ZNCC.
Zhou closed with a familiar assurance that China remains committed to Zimbabwe’s industrialisation vision, telling delegates that as the country pushes ahead under the mantra “Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo”, Beijing will continue to stand with it.
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