China said on Monday that reports that Zimbabwe’s military gave Beijing advance warning about the army’s takeover were part of efforts to undermine its image and “drive a wedge” between the Asian power and Africa.
Speculation has swirled about whether China had prior knowledge of the army’s plans after it emerged that General Constantino Chiwenga, the head of Zimbabwe’s defence forces, had visited Beijing days before the military intervention.
But the Chinese embassy in South Africa said that Gen Chiwenga’s visit this month was a “normal military exchange” and accused the western media of “evil intentions”. It added that Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe, whom the military has been holding under house arrest since last week, had approved the trip.