Robert Mugabe visits China as critics condemn 'desperate' bid for investment

It is a mutual admiration society to which the west is definitely not invited.

The leaders of China and Zimbabwe whispered sweet nothings about shared history, common foes and future cooperation during a ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing this week.

China's president, Xi Jinping, hailed Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe as a "an old friend of the Chinese people whom we respect very much". Mugabe, for his part, said he felt "very much at home".

The political love-in came as 90-year-old Mugabe makes his 13th trip to China in what critics describe as a desperate attempt to attract investment to rescue a sinking economy. China's GDP of $8.227tn (£5tn) in 2012 dwarfs Zimbabwe's of $10.81bn (£6.5bn).

For years Mugabe, accused by the west of electoral fraud and human rights violations, has been pushing a "look east" policy for business. Now this appears to include persuading the population of Zimbabwe, a former British colony – where cricket is played and O-levels and A-levels are still studied, to become more familiar with Chinese culture.

An article last week by Lin Lin, the Chinese ambassador to Zimbabwe, in the state-owned Herald newspaper noted that a recent "Night of Beijing" performance in the capital, Harare, had "fascinated and left unforgettable memories in the hearts of an audience of over 3,000".

The Chinese embassy and the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation had co-hosted "the first ever China-Zimbabwe quiz show to further increase the mutual knowledge and understanding between the two peoples", Lin Lin continued. And now a professional crew from China Central Television is in Zimbabwe to shoot a tourism promotion documentary that will "attract more Chinese people's eyes to this wonderland".

On Monday, Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, greeted Mugabe and his wife, Grace, with full military honours. A band played the two national anthems as a 21-gun salute was fired and the two presidents inspected a military honour guard. Children held flowers and miniature flags of both countries to welcome the two leaders, who held a meeting behind closed doors that lasted for hours, the Herald reported.

"Your excellency is a renowned leader of the African national liberation movement," the paper quoted Xi as saying afterwards. "The main founder of the republic of Zimbabwe and important promoter of African integration. Your excellency enjoys high prestige in Africa; you are also an old friend of the Chinese people whom we respect very much.

"The traditional friendship between China and Zimbabwe was forged in the glorious years when we stood shoulder to shoulder against imperialism, colonialism and hegemony. The Chinese people value friendship and we will never forget those good friends and good brothers who have shown mutual understanding and support vis-a-vis China and who have come through thick and thin with us."

An unusually effusive Xi added: "I stand ready to work with you, your excellency, to comprehensively deepen our bilateral relationship and make sure the relationship will create benefits for people in both countries."

In his response, Mugabe said he was grateful for the invitation by the Chinese government. "I want to thank you for what you have just said and assure you that we are prepared on our part to continue our historical relations and even build on them as we develop our economies and Zimbabwe will naturally as before, being a smaller country, be the beneficiary of this relationship and so I want to assure you of our reciprocal undertaking that we will do our best to reciprocate your friendship."

The leaders oversaw the signing of nine agreements, including on economic, trade and tourism cooperation and emergency food donations and concessional loans from China to the southern African nation. No values were given.

Zimbabwe's relations with China and the Chinese Communist party date back to the liberation struggle of the 1970s, when Beijing provided arms and trained some of the top guerrilla leaders.

China invested more in non-financial sectors in Zimbabwe than in any other country on the continent last year, exceeding $602m, the official Xinhua news agency cited Chinese government figures as saying.

At least two China-linked firms, Anjin Investments and Jinan Mining, have operated concessions at Zimbabwe's hugely controversial Marange diamond fields. Others have been accused of abusive treatment of workers.

Since Mugabe's disputed election win last year, foreign investment has plunged, hundreds of manufacturing companies have closed and unemployment in the country stands at an estimated 80%. South Africa's Mail & Guardian newspaper reported last week that Zimbabwe would allow China to bypass the normal state tender process for major projects in return for quick funding.

Mugabe is subject to sanctions by the US and EU and was one of only a handful of African leaders not invited to Barack Obama's US-Africa summit in Washington earlier this month.