China denies selling jets to Zimbabwe

Independent Online (SA) ^ | 2004-06-23

[Clive]

Mainland China's ambassador to South Africa has denied that his government has sold 12 fighter jets to Zimbabwe.

Ambassador Liu Guijin said both China's ambassador to Zimbabwe and his government in Beijing had said the original report in Zimbabwe's Mirror newspaper was "baseless".

Liu was speaking at a joint press briefing with Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad on this week's visit to South Africa by Chinese Vice-President Zeng Qinghong.

Asked earlier if South Africa intended to raise the issue of the jets with Zeng, Pahad said he knew nothing about the reported sale, but South Africa would, in any case, not interfere in a purely bilateral matter between China and Zimbabwe.

Reports last week had said South Africa might raise the reported sale as South Africa had previously asked China not to aggravate conflicts by selling arms to Africa.

Media reports last week quoted Zimbabwe opposition shadow defence minister Giles Mutsekwa as saying that Zimbabwe had bought 12 fighter jets and 100 military vehicles from China.

Mutsekwa said the parliamentary committee on defence was kept in the dark about the deal, only discovering it during a recent review of the defence ministry's quarterly budget.

Other reports have indicated that the jets were FC-1s, costing about $20-million (about R126-million) each.

Pahad said Zeng and Deputy President Jacob Zuma would co-chair the second China-South Africa Bi-national Commission in Pretoria next week. Zeng would be accompanied to South Africa by the ministers of education and commerce and other senior officials.

Pahad said political relations between China and South Africa were excellent and included agreement on fundamental international issues such as the restructuring of the United Nations, the reform of the global trading system and enhanced South-to-South co-operation among developing nations.

Both countries were committed to the creation of "an equitable and just new international political and economic order," he said.

Pahad said several agreements would be signed during Zeng's trip, including a letter of intent between Sasol and two consortia of Chinese companies for two major investments by Sasol to convert Chinese coal into liquid fuel. - Independent Foreign Service

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[Husker24]

I didnt realise that Zimbabwe could afford one Fighter.

[Piquaboy]

Even if they could afford one, where are they going to come up with someone to fly it?

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Then there's the little matter of naptha fuel for a fighter jet...common as dirt in Zimbabwe.

[Clive]

They have the pilots. British trained.

But they don't have the petrol

As Zimbabwe is land-locked, it would also be interesting to see if South Africa or Mozambique would allow the crated aircraft to be moved in on their rail systems.

Mozambique in particular would want to demand payment of Zimbabwe's arrears on rail transport and harbour fees for food, petrol and goods previously transported but not paid.