Trajectory of Us and China Rivalry in Developing Zimbabwe

Abstract

Since independence in 1980, Zimbabwe’s foreign policy has evolved from being characterised by a policy of reconciliation which earned it recognition on the international stage, to a policy based on African liberation fundamentals shaped by the country’s land reform programme that dominated Zimbabwe’s international relations and foreign policy. This saw Zimbabwe’s relations with the West becoming strained which resulted in the country being regarded as a pariah state. Zimbabwe sought to survive through new alliances and in turn focused on China and the Far East, which saw the formulation of the Look East policy (LEP). Zimbabwe’s development from the turn of the century has been hamstrung by several factors which have emerged both internally and externally. The deterioration of the country’s relations with the United States of America resulted in the imposition of sanctions and subsequently the country being unable to receive funding from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. This heavily impacted Zimbabwe’s development. Despite China pledging assistance in the midst of isolation, Zimbabwe’s development has not improved much. This paper seeks to analyse how the competition between the US and China has affected Zimbabwe’s development from 2000-2017. The paper is divided into five sections which are structured as follows; (i) introduction, (ii) bilateral relations between Zimbabwe and the US and China, (iii) the manifestation of trilateral relations (iv) effects of the rivalry on Zimbabwe and (v) the conclusion.