Zimbabwe: Chinese troops Mutare?

Curly wonders what the Chinese troops are doing in Zimbabwe ^[1]: “These blue suited marathon running highly trained policemen probably know the identities of the Chinese troops who have been reported as being seen on the streets of Mutare in Zimbabwe, after checking into a hotel resplendent with nice shining pistols. So why are the Chinese there? Have they been sent to protect and supervise the shipment of 77 tonnes of arms that is sitting off the coast of South Africa, waiting for someone to be brave enough to unload it? Are they the vanguard of a larger force that will help keep Harare’s streets quiet while Mugabe and the Zimbabwean electoral commission “officially” fiddle the result of the recent parliamentary and presidential elections?”