A senior Zimbabwean government official on Friday dismissed the fallacies of " China's cultural invasion and political and economic domination in Africa."

Higher and Tertiary Education Minister Stan Mudenge told Xinhua on Friday that the emergence of China as a world economic power house and its evolving role in Zimbabwe has raised intense interest especially among western countries.

"Myths of cultural invasion and political and economic domination are being peddled in certain interested non-African quarters with a known history of culturally and politically dominating Africa."

Mudenge commended China for supporting Zimbabwe at international forums, noting that the bilateral relations between the two countries have continued to grow.

"China has continued to provide Zimbabwe with valuable and strategic support. We are all familiar with the diplomatic support Zimbabwe has received from China at the UN during very crucial moments in our continued struggle against imperialism," he said.

On Wednesday, a gathering to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China was held in the University of Zimbabwe, the country's top higher learning institute.

The anniversary coincided with the launch of the Confucius Institute website at the university that was officially unveiled by Mudenge.

The website caters for students studying the Chinese language and culture.

Mudenge told the gathering that China has adopted a deliberate overseas assistance policy through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which emphasizes mutually beneficial cooperation between China and its African partners, with emphasis on win-win economic partnerships and cultural exchanges.

Relations between China and Zimbabwe date back to the 1960s when China supported the country's liberation struggle, he said.

Mudenge said diplomatic relations between the two countries were established at Zimbabwe's independence, leading to greater cooperation in all fields.

(Xinhua News Agency September 19, 2009)