The veteran ruler, who is barred from travelling to the US and the European Union because of alleged human rights violations, is on an official visit to China.

On Wednesday, he met Acting Chinese President Xi Jinping where he called on Russia and China to provide a buffer against the “Anglo-Saxon alliance’s expansionist agenda given what NATO did in Libya and threats posed to Syria and Iran,” his spokesman told state media on Thursday.

“Countries like China and Russia must provide both leadership and protection,” President Mugabe’s spokesman Mr George Charamba quoted him as telling the Chinese leader.

“Nature has disbursed its resources in its own ways to different countries with some countries richly endowed while some are not.

“Even us who do not have oil feel no less menaced as these rapacious countries are looking for other resources.”

Mr Mugabe, in power since Zimbabwe’s independence from Britain in 1980, said Western countries were after his country’s mineral wealth.At the height of Zimbabwe’s political problems, Russia and China repeatedly blocked EU and US attempts to have the United Nations Security Council impose sanctions on the Southern African country.

“All this (Zimbabwe’s wealth) is envied and we need protection,” he reportedly said. “We rely on good friends like you to protect us and you have done that in the past.“We do not lose confidence in you and please do not lose confident in us.”

The Asian country’s leader in waiting Mr Jinping described President Mugabe “an old friend of China.”China provided military training to Zimbabwe’s liberation movement led by President Mugabe and has maintained close ties with the country even during the time it was ostracised by the international community.

Mugabe concluded his state visit to China this Thursday by meeting Chinese business people.

He met with officials from a Chinese airline, Hainani, to discuss possible ways of venturing into a partnership with the troubled national airline Air Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe’s ambassador to China, Mr Frederick Shava expressed confidence of striking a deal with Hainani Airline, saying the airline has shown interest in operating in Zimbabwe.

Mugabe also met the owners of Anjin Diamond who expressed gratitude to the Zimbabwean government for giving their company a license to mine in the country.

The meeting with the Chinese business people was also attended by the Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development, Dr Joseph Made, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Simbarashe Mumbengegwi and government officials.

By Special correspondent