Zimbabwe’s Mugabe to meet Chinese president

BEIJING – Chinese President Hu Jintao was to meet yesterday with Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe amid accusations that Beijing’s ties help to shore up a pariah regime other governments avoid.

China has faced criticism for not toeing the world diplomatic line in isolating Mugabe’s regime, which is accused by opponents and rights groups of using torture and arbitrary arrest to quell dissent. The meeting was just one of several one-on-one encounters planned yesterday between top Chinese leaders and the leaders of African countries who attended a two-day China-Africa summit in Beijing that concluded on Sunday.The summit was seen as strengthening China’s ties with Africa and resulted in 1.9 billion dollars in trade deals, plus Chinese promises of aid, debt relief, and increased bilateral trade in the years ahead.China has rejected pressure over its own human rights record and refused to apply pressure on its African allies.Nampa-AFPThe meeting was just one of several one-on-one encounters planned yesterday between top Chinese leaders and the leaders of African countries who attended a two-day China-Africa summit in Beijing that concluded on Sunday.The summit was seen as strengthening China’s ties with Africa and resulted in 1.9 billion dollars in trade deals, plus Chinese promises of aid, debt relief, and increased bilateral trade in the years ahead.China has rejected pressure over its own human rights record and refused to apply pressure on its African allies.Nampa-AFP