On February 9 local time, President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe met with visiting State Councilor Yang Jiechi in Harare.

Yang Jiechi conveyed kind greetings from President Xi Jinping to Robert Mugabe and handed over a birthday congratulation letter signed by President Xi Jinping personally to Robert Mugabe. Yang Jiechi said that China and Zimbabwe are good partners, good friends and good brothers enjoying profound friendship. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, and China is willing to work with Zimbabwe to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state on comprehensively deepening China-Zimbabwe friendly and cooperative relations, translate the bilateral traditional friendship into the driving force for the development of bilateral cooperation, and forge China-Zimbabwe relationship into a model of equality, mutual trust, mutual support, cooperation for win-win results, and common development.

Yang Jiechi congratulated Robert Mugabe on his election as the new rotating Chairman of the African Union, and expressed his hope that Zimbabwe could continue to bring its own advantages and influences into full play to make new and greater contributions to promoting the unity and self-improvement in Africa and pushing China-Africa friendly cooperation.

Robert Mugabe asked Yang Jiechi to convey his kind greetings and sincere gratitude to President Xi Jinping. Robert Mugabe said that the Zimbabwean government and people are grateful to China for its support and assistance to Zimbabwe's economic and social development. The profound traditional friendship between the two nations should be inherited and carried forward in a continuous manner. Zimbabwe stands ready to work with China to comprehensively deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields. China is friend of Africa and Zimbabwe will constantly and actively push forward the development of Africa-China relationship.

On the same day, Yang Jiechi held talks with Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko of Zimbabwe. Both sides made in-depth exchanges of views on further intensifying friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields between China and Zimbabwe and reached broad consensus.