Mugabe looks to a rescue from the East

President Robert Mugabe has an escape plan to rescue his country from collapse and like everything else in Zimbabwe these days, it's made in China.

Zimbabweans now travel on Chinese buses, wear Chinese shoes, the army is equipped in China and Mr Mugabe's bedroom is said to be decorated with midnight blue tiles, imported of course from China.

The ageing autocrat has arrived in Beijing for six days of talks with Chinese leaders in a bid to turn his embrace of all things Chinese into an escape package to relieve an economic crisis threatening to engulf Zimbabwe.

Ever since Zimbabwe was expelled from the Commonwealth in 2002, Mugabe has looked for help from the fast growing Asian economies. His "Look East" strategy aims to attract Asian tourists and investment to replace European and American holidaymakers and Western money.

Across Zimbabwe, Chinese companies are building hydroelectric generators and roads. Zimbabweans are finding that the planes and buses they use are made in China.

There are rumours that China provides the water cannons used to attack protestors, and the bugging equipment to spy on people through their mobile phones.

Mugabe has also held out a promise of investment in the country's lucrative platinum mines to keep the wealthiest Chinese investors interested.

His visit comes just days after this government said it was exploring alternative lines of credit with Asian countries to help service its $4.5 billion foreign debt.

South Africa, under pressure to distance itself from Mugabe, is mulling a $1 billion loan.

Both Europe and America have vociferously condemned Mugabe's policies, of seizing white-owned farms and denying food to opposition party supporters.

Last week the UN released a report that condemned his urban slum clearance programme that left 700,000 people homeless and destroyed hundreds of small businesses.

By contrast, China has already begun investing in politically volatile, mineral-rich regions such as south Sudan and Angola and has taken little notice of the human rights records of governments it deals with.

Mr Mugabe and his political allies, forbidden to travel to Europe by, can still buy designer suits, cars and fine wines through China.

But while the President talks eagerly of the benefits to be gained by making China Zimbabwe's single biggest investor, his countrymen are less sure.

"Mugabe tells us that Zimbabwe is going to make connections with China and Japan instead of the UK and America but what good is that for us? Only American tourists spend a lot of money here," said Ndo, a car rental manager in Victoria Falls.

"Even when we are told how good China is, we still all want to go to the West, not the East."

- INDEPENDENT