A Chinese business delegation that visited Zimbabwe late last month said companies from the Asian giant were keen to invest in the Southern African country's gold- and platinum-mining sector.

China's Deputy Minister of Commerce, Gao Hucheng, said the Chinese government was interested in pursuing exploration projects in Zimbabwe, especially in the gold and platinum sectors.

He said the Zimbabwean government "was delighted" after the Chinese expressed interest in the country's mineral resources.

Zimbabwe's Mines Minister, Amos Midzi, confirmed that the country's mining sector "was heading for better times" after the Chinese delegation committed itself to investing in the minerals sector.

The 22-member delegation consisted of mining, exploration and trade experts.

"The visit has been very helpful; we have agreed to what the delegation has asked for from us. They want gold and platinum exploration and investment opportunities and we are willing, as government, to partner them because they are sincere investors," he said.

President Robert Mugabe, who met with the delegation, hailed the Chinese for standing by his government, which has been shunned by the UK, the US and other Western nations, which accuse him of human rights abuses, rigging elections and ruining the economy.

"This friendship is rooted in a formidable relationship, but we now need to embark on developing this relationship of cooperation with programmes that would enhance and continue what we have built over the years," Mugabe is reported to have said during the meeting in Harare.

There are two producer of platinum in the country at present, Zimbabwe Platinum Mines and Mimosa Platinum Mines. The world's largest platinum producer, Anglo Platinum, is developing another platinum mine in the Midlands, Unki.

The Chinese have already entered Zimbabwe's mining sector, after Chinese mining and trading group Sinosteel bought a stake in Zimasco Consolidated Enterprises, the holding company for Zimbabwe's largest ferrochrome producer.

Zimasco produces 210 000 t of high-carbon ferrochrome annually, accounting for about 4% of global ferrochrome production.
State-owned Sinosteel and Zimasco inked the deal on Sept. 19 last year.

China's investment drive in Africa's resources sector has been met with mixed reactions, with some viewing it as a new form of colonialism.