Zimbabwe and China have agreed to collaborate in economic research and development of strategic plans aimed at helping Zimbabwe develop its infrastructure and revamp its ailing economy, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said Thursday.

He said the cooperation will be carried out within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that he signed with the Development Research Center (DRC) of China's State Council in Beijing in June.

He said following the MoU, a delegation from the DRC is visiting Zimbabwe from Aug. 21-30 to conduct research and field studies in some of the agreed areas of cooperation that include infrastructure development and financing strategy; macro-economic stabilization and enhancement of the business environment; and industrial structure transformation policy through value addition and beneficiation of natural resources.

"The DRC mission to Zimbabwe is taking place at a time when the country is in the midst of implementing key reforms necessary to achieve economic growth and development for the country," Ncube said in his remarks during a meeting between officials from China's DRC and senior Zimbabwe government officials on Thursday.

He said areas of cooperation that Zimbabwe stands to benefit from the DRC also include human capital development and digital transformation; public enterprise reforms; effective government and state public service delivery policy; collaborative research and capacity building.

He said the two parties will collaborate in a phased approach in the agreed areas, and that cooperation will be done through policy consultation programs; academic information exchange; access to relevant data; exchange visits; joint conferences, meetings; training programs.