PRESIDENT Xi of China has dispatched his top diplomat and Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi to meet acting Zimbabwe President General Chiwenga in Harare this week amidst rumours that Beijing no longer supports Mnangagwa leadership.
Yi arrives at a time when Mnangagwais is reportedly unable to leave the country because his powerful number two has “put him under virtual military house arrest” as the 2 fight to gain control of the country.
Chiwenga returned from China last week Saturday, where he was undergoing a medical review, and is also however thought to have been invited to Beijing for a secret private visit by Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Details of Chiwengaโs meeting with Jinping remain shrouded in mystery, as Chinese media was reportedly slapped with a blackout on covering the visit. Zimbabweans were shocked late last year when Chiwenga stepped off a Chinese jet at Robert Mugabe to be welcomed by President Xi’s government officials in Harare after spending a 6 month medical vacation in Beijing.
The visit to Zimbabwe by the Chinese foreign affairs minister is reportedly part of a five-nation tour that will also take him to Egypt, Djibouti, Eritrea, and Burundi.
In Harare, Yi is expected to hold discussions with General Chiwenga and his right hand man SB Moyo.
It is not clear if Mnangagwa will be around to meet the Chinese delegation.
