China today said outgoing Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe is still its "good friend" and respect his choice to resign, lauding the contributions made by the African leader for bilateral ties during his 37-year-old authoritarian rule.
"Mugabe has long been committed to friendship between China and Zimbabwe and China-Africa and made important contributions in this regard," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Lu Kang told media briefing here.
"So we respect his choice to resign and he is still our good friend," Lu said.
Mugabe made historic contribution to the national independence and liberation cause in Zimbabwe and an advocate of pan-Africa movement, he said.
Mugabe, 93, resigned yesterday, after years of authoritarian rule following military takeover and public pressure.
China last week played down the significance of the visit of General Constantino Chiwenga, commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces to Beijing ahead of his move to take control of power saying that it was part of the normal military exchanges.
After Chiwenga took control, Mugabe was put under house arrest. China also denied reports that Zimbabwe Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa visited Beijing before the military take over. Mnangagwa was widely tipped to take over power after Mugabe's resignation.
"I can only tell you that his visit is a normal military exchange mutually agreed upon by China and Zimbabwe", Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told media here on November 15.
China is the biggest investor in Zimbabwe besides sharing extensive political and military ties during the over 37-year long tenure of Mugabe.
Lu also rebuffed the calls by the US and the UK to hold free and fair elections after Mugabe's exit saying that other countries should refrain from interfering in Zimbabwe's domestic affairs.
China upholds the principle of non-interference in internal affairs in other countries and we respect the choice of Zimbabwe people, he said.
"We also hope that other countries could refrain from interfering in its domestic affairs," he said.
About speculations that Mnangagwa could be Zimbabwe's next leader, Lu said, "We respect the choice made by the people. We will not interfere in their domestic affairs. The friendly cooperation between China and Zimbabwe is comprehensive one and it benefits the two sides."
Chinese analysts said Mugabe's exit will bring Zimbabwe even closer to China.
Mnangagwa, 75, has ties with Beijing as he received military training in China in the 1960's during Zimbabwe's fight for independence from colonial and white-majority rule, Hong Kong based South China Morning Post reported.
He also attended the Beijing School of Ideology, run by the ruling Chinese Communist Party, it said.
"Mnangagwa had a similar background to Mugabe in that he rose to power after fighting in the country's struggle for independence. Wang Hongyi, an expert at the Institute of West Asian and African Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences was quoted as saying by the Post.
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