Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe met with Chinese State Counselor Chen Zhili in Harare Wednesday, focusing on cooperation between the two countries.

Mugabe said during the meeting that his government would use agriculture to achieve economic revival with the help of partners like China.

"Agriculture is now going to be the main program to cause us to transform our economy," he said. "We are emphasizing that at the moment."

The president said the country welcomed friends willing to provide it with agricultural inputs such as tractors and irrigation equipment.

"We are only a small country but we are a determined people, agriculture people, very hard working and now we feel we are very well skilled," the president said.

Cooperation with China would see Zimbabwe strengthen its skills, thereby giving real impetus to the agricultural thrust, he said.

Mugabe said Zimbabwe was glad to have Chinese companies that had constructed such buildings as the giant National Sports Stadium, the Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital and the cement factory in Midlands province.

There were still many areas that China could participate in the economic development of Zimbabwe, he said.

Chen said there was great potential for cooperation in the fields of politics, economy and culture between China and Zimbabwe.

The Chinese government would ensure that Chinese companies would adopt preferential trading conditions when dealing with their Zimbabwean counterparts, she said.

Chen said discussions on increasing cooperation between the two countries were currently going on and an agreement on a joint Economic Cooperation Commission on Communications would be signed in two months.

Chen arrived in Harare Wednesday morning for a three-day official visit at the invitation of Zimbabwean Vice President Joseph Msika.

(Xinhua News Agency July 15, 2004)