Chinese troops are on the streets of Zimbabwean city, witnesses say

JEROME DELAY/AP

Chinese troops have been seen on the streets of Zimbabwe's third largest city, Mutare, according to local witnesses. They were seen patrolling with Zimbabwean soldiers before and during Tuesday's ill-fated general strike called by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

Earlier, 10 Chinese soldiers armed with pistols checked in at the city's Holiday Inn along with 70 Zimbabwean troops.

One eyewitness, who asked not to be named, said: "We've never seen Chinese soldiers in full regalia on our streets before. The entire delegation took 80 rooms from the hotel, 10 for the Chinese and 70 for Zimbabwean soldiers."

Officially, the Chinese were visiting strategic locations such as border posts, key companies and state institutions, he said. But it is unclear why they were patrolling at such a sensitive time. They were supposed to stay five days, but left after three to travel to Masvingo, in the south.

China's support for President Mugabe's regime has been highlighted by the arrival in South Africa of a ship carrying a large cache of weapons destined for Zimbabwe's armed forces. Dock workers in Durban refused to unload it.

The 300,000-strong South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) said it would be "grossly irresponsible" to touch the cargo of ammunition, grenades and mortar rounds on board the Chinese ship An Yue Jiang anchored outside the port.

A Satawu spokesman Randall Howard said: "Our members employed at Durban container terminal will not unload this cargo, neither will any of our members in the truck-driving sector move this cargo by road. South Africa cannot be seen to be facilitating the flow of weapons into Zimbabwe at a time where there is a political dispute and a volatile situation between Zanu-PF and the MDC."

Three million rounds of AK-47 ammunition, 1,500 rocket-propelled grenades and more than 3,000 mortar rounds and mortar tubes are among the cargo on the Chinese ship, according to copies of the inventory published by a South African newspaper.

According to Beeld, the documentation for the shipment was completed on 1 April, three days after the presidential vote.

Zimbabwe and China have close military ties. Three years ago, Mr Mugabe signed extensive trade pacts with the Chinese as part of the "Look East" policy forced on him by his ostracising by Western governments over human rights abuses. The deal gave the Chinese mineral and trade concessions in exchange for economic help.

The shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague called on David Miliband to demand a cessation of arms shipments.

A South African government spokesman Themba Maseko said it would be difficult to stop the shipment.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/chinese-troops-are-on-the-streets-of-zimbabwean-city-witnesses-say-811796.html

The Chinese sure are making themselves look good,what with the Olympic Games right around the corner.

Hint to China,you're gonna need a whole lot more than 10 troops.....TIA.

The chinese will do anything to keep the natural resources flowing.

Quoted: The chinese will do anything to keep the natural resources flowing.

The battle for resources is beginning,it'll get mighty interesting when/if Iran is attacked,the major players will reveal themselves.

Quoted: That ship has now left Durban harbor and is on the way to Angola...Moz having felt too much press heat to allow it there, and I can guarantee the Chinese in Zim are like roaches...for every one you see there are many more you don't...

And Angola is very friendly with China, very friendly indeed.

so 10 chinese brass show up with sidearms, and its an invasion? in that case, i know weve been invaded by tunesia, met a couple tunesian troops training at ft. gordon.

sure its bad that commies are in africa, but these areticles make it out to be some kind of occupation.

Quoted: so 10 chinese brass show up with sidearms, and its an invasion? in that case, i know weve been invaded by tunesia, met a couple tunesian troops training at ft. gordon. sure its bad that commies are in africa, but these areticles make it out to be some kind of occupation.

So do Chinese Military Brass routinely walk the streets of the USA bearing arms and directing US troops to supress popular dissent against the government?

Quoted: Quoted: so 10 chinese brass show up with sidearms, and its an invasion? in that case, i know weve been invaded by tunesia, met a couple tunesian troops training at ft. gordon. sure its bad that commies are in africa, but these areticles make it out to be some kind of occupation. So do Chinese Military Brass routinely walk the streets of the USA bearing arms and directing US troops to supress popular dissent against the government?

No,Chinese Military Brass would be directing everyone to,"You go buy Walmart NOW!"

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: so 10 chinese brass show up with sidearms, and its an invasion? in that case, i know weve been invaded by tunesia, met a couple tunesian troops training at ft. gordon. sure its bad that commies are in africa, but these areticles make it out to be some kind of occupation. So do Chinese Military Brass routinely walk the streets of the USA bearing arms and directing US troops to supress popular dissent against the government? No,Chinese Military Brass would be directing everyone to,"You go buy Walmart NOW!"

Hehehe...  kewl!, maybe now  the US gov. will stop sending all that "aid" to Africa, the chinese can take over doing it...  they can make the place right....  

Quoted: Quoted: so 10 chinese brass show up with sidearms, and its an invasion? in that case, i know weve been invaded by tunesia, met a couple tunesian troops training at ft. gordon. sure its bad that commies are in africa, but these areticles make it out to be some kind of occupation. So do Chinese Military Brass routinely walk the streets of the USA bearing arms and directing US troops to supress popular dissent against the government?

where in the article did it say anything about wtf theyre doing in zimbabwe, other than "the Chinese were visiting strategic locations such as border posts, key companies and state institutions" which isnt directing shit, not suppressing shit, or doing shit else other than staying in a holiday inn and taking a tour. foreign brass do that here all the time.

you wanna try and read between the lines here and claim the russians are coming across the gap, go ahead. youre just taking it from the "everythings goovy man" liberal slant so much of the 'news' has to the "its the fucking APOCALYPSE" tinfoil extreme. just jumping at shadows.

but now youre probably going to accuse me of being part of the "everythings groovy" agenda. no, im just a skeptical veteran who knows better than to speculate in matters he cant possibly hope to get properly educated on.

call me when the bullets start flying.

Quoted: Chinese troops are on the streets of Zimbabwean city, witnesses say JEROME DELAY/AP Chinese troops have been seen on the streets of Zimbabwe's third largest city, Mutare, according to local witnesses. They were seen patrolling with Zimbabwean soldiers before and during Tuesday's ill-fated general strike called by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). Earlier, 10 Chinese soldiers armed with pistols checked in at the city's Holiday Inn along with 70 Zimbabwean troops. One eyewitness, who asked not to be named, said: "We've never seen Chinese soldiers in full regalia on our streets before. The entire delegation took 80 rooms from the hotel, 10 for the Chinese and 70 for Zimbabwean soldiers." Officially, the Chinese were visiting strategic locations such as border posts, key companies and state institutions, he said. But it is unclear why they were patrolling at such a sensitive time. They were supposed to stay five days, but left after three to travel to Masvingo, in the south. China's support for President Mugabe's regime has been highlighted by the arrival in South Africa of a ship carrying a large cache of weapons destined for Zimbabwe's armed forces. Dock workers in Durban refused to unload it. The 300,000-strong South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) said it would be "grossly irresponsible" to touch the cargo of ammunition, grenades and mortar rounds on board the Chinese ship An Yue Jiang anchored outside the port. A Satawu spokesman Randall Howard said: "Our members employed at Durban container terminal will not unload this cargo, neither will any of our members in the truck-driving sector move this cargo by road. South Africa cannot be seen to be facilitating the flow of weapons into Zimbabwe at a time where there is a political dispute and a volatile situation between Zanu-PF and the MDC." Three million rounds of AK-47 ammunition, 1,500 rocket-propelled grenades and more than 3,000 mortar rounds and mortar tubes are among the cargo on the Chinese ship, according to copies of the inventory published by a South African newspaper. According to Beeld, the documentation for the shipment was completed on 1 April, three days after the presidential vote. Zimbabwe and China have close military ties. Three years ago, Mr Mugabe signed extensive trade pacts with the Chinese as part of the "Look East" policy forced on him by his ostracising by Western governments over human rights abuses. The deal gave the Chinese mineral and trade concessions in exchange for economic help. The shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague called on David Miliband to demand a cessation of arms shipments. A South African government spokesman Themba Maseko said it would be difficult to stop the shipment. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/chinese-troops-are-on-the-streets-of-zimbabwean-city-witnesses-say-811796.html

I knew it! It was only a matter of time before those guys saw the potential of all those natural resources. Thats it. They are the new "white man".
Don't worry,they'll bring the economy back into shape and before you know it,there'll be ANOTHER nelsone mandella bitching about raping the land and all this other nonsense. But those Chinee wont' put up with it. That is going to be their continent for a long,long time.
They were better off when things were run by the Swedes?/or whoever.

HAHA! FUCK AFRICA!

The Chinese have good intentions.  They are all about spreading economic prosperity

Somehow, I don't think the Chinese will be able to 'beat' Africa either...

Give it a few years, we will be posting 'Africa Wins Again'....

That ship needs to have a catastrophic problem BEFORE it gets unloaded.

Where is the Oregon when you need it?

I hope China chokes on Africa.  Honestly, all the tin pot dictators deserve to be ran by China.  I just don't think China understands just what kind of mess they are going to be getting into.  Tribal and religious factions will join forces to oppose them.  

Africa is crap hole for a reason, that is what they want, and nobody is going to drag them out of it.

Quoted: That ship needs to have a catastrophic problem BEFORE it gets unloaded.

Time to call executive outcomes.  They seem to be good at this kind of stuff.

Send Carter and Rangell & Jesse & Obama & Hilldog & Cafferty in to check this out NOW!

The beginning of expanding Chinese influence on the international community. You'll see more of this as resources become more scarce.

And honestly, we do it all the time. It's just going to be more competitive now.

China just maintaining their perfect track record.  Darfur, Burma, Tibet, now propping up Mugabe.  Maybe they'll come to Detroit and offer their support to Kwame Kilpatrick.

"I hope China chokes on Africa"

I think they will do just fine with Africa. They will not have the problems that the west has had-preventing violence and human rights abuse-because to them that is not a  problem.

It is just business: We give you cash, you give us resources. We give you ship load of arms, you see that resources keep comeing. If you cannot see to it that resources keep comeing, we will replace you with someone who can. And don't burn villages until the Olympics are done.

.

Quoted: I hope China chokes on Africa.  Honestly, all the tin pot dictators deserve to be ran by China.  I just don't think China understands just what kind of mess they are going to be getting into.  Tribal and religious factions will join forces to oppose them.   Africa is crap hole for a reason, that is what they want, and nobody is going to drag them out of it.

it might be a crap hole but so is china, they'll be good bedfellows.

Quoted: China just maintaining their perfect track record.  Darfur, Burma, Tibet, now propping up Mugabe.  Maybe they'll come to Detroit and offer their support to Kwame Kilpatrick.

It isn't just China - that's mugabe on the left:

Quoted: so 10 chinese brass show up with sidearms, and its an invasion? in that case, i know weve been invaded by tunesia, met a couple tunesian troops training at ft. gordon. sure its bad that commies are in africa, but these areticles make it out to be some kind of occupation.

That's usually how the shit starts. First a few and later many.

Quoted: Quoted: so 10 chinese brass show up with sidearms, and its an invasion? in that case, i know weve been invaded by tunesia, met a couple tunesian troops training at ft. gordon. sure its bad that commies are in africa, but these areticles make it out to be some kind of occupation. That's usually how the shit starts. First a few and later many.

heh, weren't there "a few" Japanese visiting Pearl Harbor walking around taking photographs in late 1941?

That Chinese ship loaded with goodies needs to stop off here by my house.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: so 10 chinese brass show up with sidearms, and its an invasion? in that case, i know weve been invaded by tunesia, met a couple tunesian troops training at ft. gordon. sure its bad that commies are in africa, but these areticles make it out to be some kind of occupation. That's usually how the shit starts. First a few and later many. heh, weren't there "a few" Japanese visiting Pearl Harbor walking around taking photographs in late 1941?

Vietnam! 1st a few advisors and later a half million US regular forces.

Quoted: Quoted: China just maintaining their perfect track record.  Darfur, Burma, Tibet, now propping up Mugabe.  Maybe they'll come to Detroit and offer their support to Kwame Kilpatrick. It isn't just China - that's mugabe on the left: abnoxio.weblog.com.pt/arquivo/Ahmadinejad-Mugabe1.jpg static.flickr.com/110/302976900_009e26c4fc_o.jpg static.flickr.com/111/302976912_879e40c7bc_o.jpg

Iran's midget-in-chief too?

Fuck em. I hope the red Chinese slaughter every last one of them. The moron populace there voted the dictator Mugabe into power in the first place. Don't be fooled by mugabe's title, he and the country are now owned by the Chinese. The Chinese will protect Mugabe from the rabble in exchange for his puppet state. If Mugabe ever gets uppity, they will threaten to remove his protection. He will stay in line out of fear.

Those idiots in Zimbabwe traded colonialism under the British for slavery under the Red Chinese.

I hope the fuckups in Venezeula are watching to see what's coming next to their country. There still might be a chance for Venezeula to save themselves and ditch the fat headed communist leader of theirs before the Chinese move in.

Quoted: That Chinese ship loaded with goodies needs to stop off here by my house.

group buy!