China–Zimbabwe relations
[2] Two months later, Zimbabwe's foreign minister Simon Muzenda visited Beijing to express his thanks; he was followed by Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe himself the next year.[1] Mugabe placed great importance on Zimbabwe's relations with China, especially after the 2003 standoff with the European Union resulted in capital flight and economic depression.[1] However, there are increasing signs that China remain apprehensive about their relations with Zimbabwe and prefer to concentrate their political capital on countries with oil reserves.[1] The national airline Air Zimbabwe have also increased their recruitment of Chinese-speaking flight attendants and training of existing flight attendants in the Chinese language, and Zimbabwe, since having been added to China's official list of approved tourism destinations, aims to expand the number of Chinese tourists from 10,000 to 25,000.Acting President Joseph Msika praised the Chinese government for its continued support in the face of economic sanctions imposed by Western nations.[13] On January 6, 2010, the Chinese government announced plans to award scholarships to 32 students from Zimbabwe to study in China.[13] The South African-based Institute for Security Studies believes that under the leadership of Chinese leader Xi Jinping the PRC's relationship with Zimbabwe has become more distant due to concerns over the long term stability of ZANU-PF rule.