Q: Could you update us on the China Africa relationship in relation to FOCAC and what have been the achievements to date, especially for Zambia? How is China using the FOCAC summit to ensure that new development strategies take development to ordinary Africans and Zambians in particular?
A: The 2024 FOCAC Summit will be held in Beijing from September 4 to 6. It will be an event to celebrate China-Africa friendship, explore cooperation opportunities and chart the course for the future under the theme of Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future.
Since the inception of FOCAC in 2000, China has channeled resources and mobilized multiple financial instruments to bring real changes and benefits to the African people, by helping African countries build and upgrade more than 10,000 kilometers of railways, nearly 100,000 kilometers of highways, 66,000 kilometers of power transmission and distribution lines, and power generation facilities with an installed capacity of 120 million kilowatts. FOCAC now proudly stands as a leading platform that champions South-South cooperation and international cooperation with Africa.
China-Zambia cooperation under the framework of FOCAC has borne tangible and fruitful results, including such China-aided projects as the Levy Mwanawasa University Teaching Hospital, Mulungushi International Conference Centre and Milling Plants in Lusaka, Monze and Mpika, and projects constructed by Chinese companies, such as the Kafue Gorge Lower Hydropower Project and the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport Project.
At the invitation of H.E. President Xi Jinping, H.E. President Hichilema will soon visit China again for the Summit, where he will join Chinese and African leaders in exploring the possibilities of cooperation to bolster growth for the African Continent, meet global challenges such as energy and food security and bring more certainty to a world of growing instability. On the sidelines of the FOCAC Summit, President Hichilema will attend the Zambia Power Development Forum, which will bring together stakeholders from the power and financial sectors of China in a joint search for solutions to the current power shortage faced by this country. I am sure President Hichilema’s visit will produce fruitful results and innovative ways of higher-quality cooperation that will benefit the people and bring real changes to this country.
Apart from Zambian government delegation, H.E. Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe, Secretary General of COMESA will lead a high-level delegation to attend the FOCAC Summit, to explore cooperation opportunities between China and COMESA in the years to come.
Q: How do you evaluate the current Zambia-China relationship after 60 years of bilateral ties? What measures will China adopt to enhance its cooperation with Zambia in various fields ?
A: This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Zambia. Over the past six decades, our relations have been characterized by growing political mutual trust, stronger economic complementarities and greater amity between our peoples.
Political mutual trust is the soil on which China-Zambia relations have been growing. Zambia was the first country in Southern Africa to establish diplomatic ties with China. Whenever China-Zambia relations are talked about, the first thing that comes to mind is the all-weather friendship, forged by our founding fathers Chairman Mao Zedong and President Kenneth Kaunda, and painstakingly cultivated by successive leaders of the two countries, President Xi Jinping and President Hakainde Hichilema in particular. During President Hichilema’s successful State Visit to China last September, the two Heads of State decided to upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic and Cooperative Partnership. This has reaffirmed the high level of political mutual trust that the two countries currently enjoy. China and Zambia have been supporting each other on issues concerning their respective core interests. 54 years ago, China assisted in the construction of TAZARA railway when it was undergoing tremendous economic hardships at home, in an effort to support Zambia’s struggle for national independence and dignity. 53 years ago, Zambia, as one of the co-sponsors of Resolution 2758 adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, helped China restore its lawful seat in the UN and made it one of the most staunch defender of the one-China principle. The two countries firmly support each other in pursuing development paths suited to their respective national realities.
Economic complementarities are the driving force for robust cooperation between us in practical areas. The economies of China and Zambia are cut out for each other. The recent years have seen expanding two-way trade and a strong momentum of growth of economic interactions. What was agreed between the two Heads of State last September is being translated into real results on the ground. Two-way trade stood at almost 3 billion US dollars in the first half of 2024, up by 5.3% year on year, including 2.45 billion in the form of export from Zambia to China. Just in the short span of three months or so this year, President Hichilema attended the China-Zambia High-Quality Development Forum and Technology Empowering Mining Development Forum, and commissioned major projects undertaken by Chinese businesses, including Shaft 28 of the Luanshya Copper Mines, the Chingola-Kasumbalesa Road, the Lusaka-Ndola Dual Carriageway, the Smart Village pilot project at Muchila and the Sinomine Kitumba Mine in Mumbwa. And discussions over the TAZARA revitalization project are making good progress. This railway of uhuru and friendship, once revitalized, will truly become a railway of development and prosperity, by contributing significantly to the improvement of Zambia’s transport infrastructure, enhance regional connectivity and boost economic growth of regions along the railway line. We also see huge potential of cooperation on green economy. Zambia is rich in copper, cobalt and other critical minerals essential for green development, while China has world-leading and mature green technologies of EV manufacturing and a huge market. I am confident that green cooperation will bring about the much anticipated green transformation and value addition to this country and deliver tangible benefits to the people.
Amity between the two peoples is what nurtures China-Zambia relations on a sustained basis. China-Zambia friendship takes its root deep in the heart of our people and flourishes on people-to-people exchanges. Both Chinese and Zambians are hospitable and peace-loving people. During the early years of our relations, Chinese and Zambian railway workers and engineers worked together, lived together and learned from each other as they were jointly building the TAZARA Railway. Six decades on, the exchanges between the two peoples have become increasingly frequent and close. More and more Zambian youths are passionate about the Chinese culture and language and choose to study in China. The total number of Zambian students who ever learned Chinese has exceeded 10,000. More and more Chinese have visited Zambia as a favorable destination of tourism or business. The Chinese Medical Team sent to Zambia is a good example of people-to-people exchanges. In the past 46 years, more than 1,000 medical staff have served in Zambia, treating more than 6.4 million patients. They have been appreciated and respected by the Zambian people for their professionalism and skills. Mutual visits of representatives of government, the business community and other sectors have also reached a high level.
Q: Zambia is currently facing a drought and power deficit that is negatively impacting on economic activities and social sector. How are the two countries collaborating over the matter or on this issue? How will China help Zambia in this sector as it did during Cholera, and Covid 19 pandemics?
A: The Chinese government and people feel for our Zambian brothers and sisters as you go through the drought and subsequent power deficit. Chinese emergency food aid is on the way, and a number of Chinese businesses operating in Zambia have carried out boreholes drilling programs to help local communities. Medium- and long-term measures include committing to help Zambia build more milling plants and encouraging Chinese businesses to invest in solar power and other renewable forms of energy, smart modern agriculture and water infrastructure in this country. To start with, a forum dedicated to addressing power shortage in Zambia and achieving steady power supply will soon be convened in Beijing, during the upcoming Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). Please be assured that China is always ready to take concrete actions whenever Zambia needs help.