Show me the money. That is what President Emmerson Mnangagwa would have hoped for during his state visit to China this week - his first international state trip since his rise to power in November last year. But instead, China made promises, signing seven memorandum-of-understanding agreements in different economic sectors. China's President Xi Jinping and Mnangagwa also fell over each other to make commitments of allegiance to one another. "I'm willing to work with Mr President to jointly map out our future co-operation and write a new chapter in China-Zimbabwe relations for the benefit of our two peoples," Xi said during a meeting in Beijing. But - as has been the case for decades in Zimbabwe's relations with China - what was markedly missing from the trip was Beijing extending a financial bailout to Harare. In the end, the week-long trip reeked of déjà vu from the days of Robert Mugabe's rule, when big promises were made but there was little delivery. Zimbabwe is desperately in n...
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