The Zimbabwean Foreign Minister, Stan Mudenge, has attacked Western states, accusing them of global adventurism and Rambo-like interventionism.

In a speech at a reception for the Chinese foreign minister, Tang Jiaxuan, Mr Mudenge said since the end of the Cold War, the West had used human rights as a pretext to intervene in the domestic affairs of nation states.

He said this was a prescription for chaos in international relations. Zimbabwe has been critcised by the West for its economic policies, which have led to a suspension of aid from the International Monetary Fund. Mr Mudenge said he hoped Chinese initiatives to establish a new world economic order would prove successful. Zimbabwe will be attending a Sino-African summit planned for Beijing next October.

Mr Tang is visiting Zimbabwe at the start of a five nation tour of Africa to encourage participation at the summit.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service