Recent headlines have focused on the “cargo of death” shipped from China to Zimbabwe last week, but in an even more sinister development, Chinese troops have been seen on the streets of a Zimbabwe town… (Daily Mail)  Chinese and North Korean troops were also in evidence alongside Mugabe’s own troops when he attended a rally in Harare recently.  I believe the Chinese and North Korean troops are now needed to stiffen Zimbabwean military support for Mugabe.  There are increasing signs that not all the police, or the military, are still willing to enforce Mugabe’s murderous rule. 

More from the Daily Mail:

Zimbabwe and China have close military ties involving equipment and training.

 Three years ago, Mugabe signed extensive trade pacts with the Chinese as part of his Look East policy – forced on him after he was ostracised by western governments over alleged humans abuses.

The deal gave the Chinese mineral and trade concessions in exchange for economic help – mirroring other deals Beijing has signed with regimes all over Africa.

Yes, this is the same China that just sent a cargo ship full of military hardware to Mugabe that includes:

…nearly 3 million rounds of ammunition for small arms and AK-47s, about 3,500 mortars and mortar launchers, as well as 1,500 rockets for rocket-propelled grenades.

Mr. Davies sums it up nicely:

A Zimbabwean newspaper publisher, Trevor Ncube, (now living in South Africa) was quoted as saying “If the British were our masters yesterday, the Chinese have come and taken their place.” 

Hope they are nicer to the Zimbabweans that they have been to the Tibetans. 

But this shouldn’t have any effect on he Olympics in Beijing, which is all the Chinese Government really cares about – publicly.