‘Revolutionary kinship’: China pledges unwavering support for Zanu PF as CPC marks 105 years

By ZHOU DING | Jul 3, 2026 | 9 Min read

Welcome to the Chinese Embassy for today’s round-table discussions to mark the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, and to honour the great fraternal relationship between China and Zimbabwe, and between the CPC and Zanu PF.

Just two days ago, on 1 July 2026, as the CPC’s celebrated the 105th anniversary of its founding, H.E. President E.D. Mnangagwa extended warm congratulations to H.E. President Xi Jinping and spoke highly of the deepening of China-Zimbabwe relations. We are very grateful for his solidarity message. Our sincere gratitude also goes to many Zimbabwean comrades and friends who have joined us in celebrating this milestone by contributing commentaries and sending congratulatory messages.

The fraternal bond linking the CPC and Zanu PF, and between China and Zimbabwe alike, stretches back more than six decades, forged during Zimbabwe’s arduous liberation struggle. When the people of Zimbabwe fought valiantly for independence and freedom, China under CPC Leadership stood firmly in solidarity with you, providing military training, material supplies and unwavering diplomatic support.

As a classic well-known Shona proverb says: “Ziva kwawakabva, mudzimu weshiri uri mudendere”. It means that never forget our origins and always stay mindful of where we came from, for just as a bird’s soul stays with its nest, we will never cast aside or forget the revolutionary kinship built through our shared liberation fight.

This shared heritage is why back in January this year, President Xi Jinping replied to a group of veterans of Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle. In his reply letter, he voiced profound appreciation for our shared revolutionary ties and expressed his sincere hopes that our time-honoured friendship should be carried forward and further deepened.

Today, we gathered here on this meaningful occasion, to reflect our glorious shared history and pay tribute to the CPC’s 105 year’s journey. This event serves as a platform where we learn from one another on party building and state governance and reinforce our all-weather friendship

Nearly everyone seated here today have been to China. Some of you have visited China many times. Some might hold a deeper understanding of China than my Embassy colleagues and I myself. I am keen to hear your insightful comments and thoughtful perspectives on the CPC: its core role in driving China’s modernisation and advancing global peace and prosperity. We often speak of China’s two great miracles — sustained rapid economic growth and long-term social stability. China’s remarkable achievements should be largely attributed to the CPC, whose leadership and governance system serve as the fundamental underpinning for every stride China has made. To truly understand China, one must first understand the CPC.

105 years ago, the CPC embarked on its journey. Back in July 1921, 13 delegates representing merely 50 Party members nationwide convened the First National Congress aboard a small boat near Shanghai. Today, the CPC has grown into the world’s largest ruling political party, boasting over 101 million members who unite and lead the 1.4 billion Chinese people forward.

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Through 105 years of relentless hard work, the CPC, as a pioneering trailblazer, has guided the Chinese people through countless hardships and successfully forge and stay committed to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Last month, Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building was formally introduced. Its core tenets are encapsulated in the “Fourteen Insistences”, which deliver valuable experience and wisdom for political parties worldwide seeking to strengthen self-development.

The Fourteen Insistences, also referred to as the Fourteen Principles of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building, read as follows:

Uphold and strengthen the party’s overall leadership over all undertakings;
Advance social transformation by advancing the party’s self-reform;
Take political building as the fundamental task of party building;
Adhere to a people-centred approach to all work;
Boost theoretical education and ideological development within the Party;
Refine a well-structured, fully connected party organisational system;
Cultivate a contingent of loyal, upright, responsible high-calibre cadres;
Nurture talent reserves for national rejuvenation;
Improve the party’s work style and maintain flesh-and-blood ties with the public;
Resolutely combat corruption and purify the political ecosystem within the party;
Perfect the institutional framework for the party’s self-governance;
Exercise full and rigorous self-governance over the Party in all dimensions;
Reinforce the political accountability for full and rigorous Party self-governance;
Leverage Party building to underpin and advance national governance.

Just yesterday, 2nd of July, the Party School of the CPC Central Committee released a concise yet in-depth report titled The Contemporary Features and Global Significance of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building, in which its experts elaborate on each of these 14 core principles. When we have the English version, I’ll be happy share with you.

Zanu PF is a people-centred revolutionary party with extensive grassroots reach, strict internal discipline and powerful mobilisation capacity. As President Mnangagwa stressed in his address to the Zanu PF politburo, Zanu PF shoulders the mission of governing through regular, structured engagement and delivering transformative results. This vision closely aligns with the CPC’s commitment to full and rigorous Party self-governance and deep grassroots engagement.

Our exchanges on party and state governance deepen year after year. Each year, more than 100 Zanu PF cadres travel to China or the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Leadership School in Tanzania to attend capacity-building training and professional exchange programmes. Meanwhile, the International Department of the CPC Central Committee sends at least one expert delegation to Zimbabwe annually to deliver special training sessions for Zanu PF. The CPC is always ready to share its experience in party building, grassroots governance and cadre training. It is my earnest hope that today’s dialogue will enable mutual learning and lift our respective governance capabilities side by side.

I warmly invite every one of you to speak freely. I look forward to your insights and analyses concerning the CPC’s party-building practices, its central role in advancing Chinese modernisation, as well as your proposals to expand future exchanges and deliver win-win cooperation.

Ambassador Zhou Ding’s Closing Remarks at the Roundtable Discussions Marking the 105th Anniversary of the CPC Founding

(Harare, 3 July 2026)

Comrades and Friends,

I want to express my sincere appreciation for what you have shared with us this morning as comrades and friends. Your reflections and your interpretations of the key elements of “Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building”, as well as your visionary proposals for cementing and leveraging our fraternal bonds and pursuing win-win outcomes, have greatly boosted my confidence in our bilateral ties.

On the 1st of July 2026, Chinese President H.E. Xi Jinping delivered a keynote address at the gathering marking the CPC’s 105th anniversary, he said the fundamental reason why the Communist Party of China has been able to continually achieve brilliance over 105 years of struggle, and why history and the people have chosen it, lies in the fact that the Party possesses unparalleled qualities. And I would like to share with you:

The CPC remains committed to seeking truth from facts, and always blazes development paths suited to national realities.

The CPC adheres to freeing the mind, advancing with the times and staying realistic and pragmatic. It explores development paths grounded in domestic conditions and real-life practice. That is why China never export development models or attach political strings to cooperation, and fully support ZANU-PF in blazing an independent development path tailored to Zimbabwe’s own conditions.

The CPC is deeply rooted in the people, and always prioritizes people’s well-being.

All work of the CPC starts with the people and serves the people. The CPC shares weal and woe with the people, bound to them heart and soul. I still recall conversations with Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle veterans who trained in China in their youth. What lingered most vividly in their memories was not weaponry or combat tactics, but the profound bond between Chinese soldiers and civilians. That special bond was later captured in the Shona proverb: “Simba rehove riri mumvura”（鱼之力，存于水中，军民鱼水情深）. This is the most vivid embodiment of a “people-centered” philosophy.

This commitment to people’s wellbeing runs through every China-Zimbabwe cooperation project. I will not list them one by one.

The CPC always courageously rises to its historic missions, follows the trend of the times, and always maintains strategic foresight amid global shifts.

The CPC keeps the bigger picture firmly in mind, balancing long-term national rejuvenation goals with pressing short-term domestic demands, and accurately grasping the tides of our times. (Today’s world faces profound turmoil and transformation, beset by unilateralism, development gaps and security crises. Since 2021, President Xi Jinping has put forward the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Civilization Initiative and Global Governance Initiative, providing Chinese wisdom and solutions to tackle global challenges.)

To boost Africa’s development, China rolled out zero-tariff treatment for 53 African diplomatic partners starting May 1 this year, bringing tangible benefits to Zimbabwe.

The CPC always has the courage and competence to fight, and always stands unwaveringly to uphold national sovereignty and equity across the globe.

The CPC was forged, matured and strengthened through relentless struggle, never shying away from any risks or hardships. The people of Zimbabwe embody this same unyielding, self-reliant spirit: your forebears waged a heroic liberation war to secure national independence, and the nation has endured years of illegal unilateral sanctions without wavering from its self-determined development path.

The CPC always focuses on constant self-improvement and is always full of vitality.

Constant self-reflection and self-improvement aimed at building inner strength hold the key to the CPC’s enduring vitality. Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building offers valuable reference for political parties worldwide. The CPC firmly believes that to govern well, a party must first strengthen itself. Keeping pace with changing times, the Party regularly reflects on its performance, maintains a proactive sense of risk awareness, and upgrades itself through continuous self-reform. It prioritizes internal development and discipline, actively removes all unhealthy elements that weaken its integrity and progressive nature, and eliminates all risks that harm its political health. Through constant self-improvement and revolutionary refinement, the Party grows increasingly robust, dynamic, and capable of fulfilling its mission.

President Xi Jinping stresses that the Party’s work conduct shapes its image, public trust and survival, determining the success of all Party and national undertakings. Conduct issues are persistent and recurring, requiring sustained, long-term efforts. Corruption represents the most malignant tumor eroding the Party’s vitality and competence, and anti-corruption work constitutes the most thorough form of the Party’s self-reform. According to President Xi Jinping, failing to stand up to hundreds of corrupt officials would mean betraying 1.4 billion Chinese people. The CPC maintains relentless pressure on corruption through targeting tigers, flies and foxes simultaneously, intensifying overseas pursuit of fugitives and recovered assets to send an unwavering signal of zero tolerance. We have been tackling corruption at all levels to eliminate its root causes. We will continue to Advancing the integrated efforts to ensure officials do not dare to, are unable to, and have no desire to commit corruption.

To sum up, the CPC remains committed to seeking truth and always adheres to the right direction; it is deeply rooted in the people and always boasts a solid foundation; it courageously rises to its historic missions and always keeps a strategic initiative in hand; it follows the development trend and always remains at the forefront of the times; it has the courage and ability to fight and is always confident about winning; and it focuses on constant self-improvement and is always full of vitality. The fundamental reason why the CPC has been able to continuously forge brilliant achievements throughout its 105 years of endeavor, and why history and the people have chosen the CPC, lies precisely in these fine qualities.

The insights and observations shared by all Zimbabwean delegates at this seminar marking the 105th Anniversary of the Communist Party of China are highly enlightening and valuable. Our Zimbabwean friends have offered unique perspectives rooted in national conditions and practical experience of Southern African developing countries. You have elaborated extensively on how CPC’s century-long governance concepts, people-centered development philosophy and self-reform spirit can provide vital references for African nations striving for higher efficiency, economic revitalization, good governance, better delivery. You have also spoke sincerely about the tangible benefits brought by China-Zimbabwe cooperation guided by the shared values of mutual respect and common development, fully demonstrating profound understanding of the CPC’s founding mission and governance wisdom.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to every participant for your active engagement, frank dialogue and friendly interactions throughout the today’s event. Every speaker shared genuine thoughts without reservation, creating an open, inclusive and mutually respectful communication atmosphere. The candid exchanges have bridged ideological gaps, deepened mutual trust between Chinese and Zimbabwean counterparts, and laid a solid foundation for further exchanges on party building theories, governance experience and bilateral practical cooperation in the future. Such heartfelt and constructive discussions make this thematic seminar truly rewarding and memorable for all attendees.

Chinese ambassador Zhou Ding’s opening Remarks for the Roundtable Discussions Marking the 105th Anniversary of the CPC Founding in Harare on Friday