Published: 10 June 2013

Zimbabwe is not being colonised by the Chinese as many would like to believe, deputy mines minister Gift Chimanikire told a Zimbabwe investment conference in Boksburg South Africa.

"The Chinese came in when nobody else was not there. Chinese are not colonising us," he said.

He said Zimbabwe was open to any country as 60 percent of the country was still to be explored for mines.

Chimanikire said Zimbabwe was discouraging a situation where large mining companies owned more than half of the country's natural resources.

China said recently its two-way trade with Africa had increased by nearly 45% in a year to hit a record $114.8bn. Its investment in Zimbabwe has been growing steadily over the last decade.
- businessday