During much of June, Prime Minister of Zimbabwe Morgan Tsvangirai traveled abroad to seek aid for his ailing country. He received mostly warm support from the US and Europe. However, he failed to convince donors to come in with substantial aid to help Zimbabwe’s economy which is in ruins. The reason: aid givers are wary of the overstaying dictator that is Robert Mugabe.

China has been more receptive. The country has always been a Mugabe ally. By end of June, Morgan Tsvangirai announced that Beijing has opened a credit line of nearly one billion dollars for Zimbabwe.

This appropriation provided by the Chinese offers a much needed shot in the arm of a devastated economy. Zimbabwe is said to need $ 8 billion to recover from economic ruin under the leadership of Robert Mugabe.

Politically, it also offers a respite to Tsvangirai who has been deluged with criticism for his tours abroad. The Prime Minister, who took the risk of sharing power with Mugabe to bring the country out of a deep political crisis, admits. “The aim of our tour was to define a new diplomatic relationship with our European partners and the U.S. after ten years of isolation. The mission is successful,” he explained.

Through Washington, Paris, London, Berlin, and the Scandinavian capitals, Morgan Tsvangirai has raised half a billion dollars in humanitarian aid pledges. 70 percent of Zimbabweans currently depend on foreign assistance.

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Via GMA News