On March 5, the Chinese Embassy in Zambia held a reception to celebrate the 40th anniversary of China-Zambia military medical cooperation. At the reception, Zambian Defence Minister Ambrose Lufuma awarded the Medal of International Cooperation to 11 members of the 26th Chinese Military Medical Expert Team to Zambia.

On behalf of President Hakainde Hichilema, Lufuma expressed cordial greetings to the Chinese military medical team, spoke highly of the important contributions made by Chinese military doctors to the development of Zambia’s military medical capacity and the well-being of Zambian people during the past 4 decades. He sincerely thanked the Chinese military for its valuable support to Zambia’s national defence construction, expressed Zambia’s willingness to continue to strengthen military cooperation with China in various fields.

Wang Sheng, the Charge d’Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Zambia, said that the Chinese Military Medical Expert Team has been continuously assisting Zambia over the past 40 years to save lives and heal the wounded, which fully reflects the great spirit of China’s Foreign Aid Medical Teams. 2024 marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Zambia. The Embassy in Zambia will uphold the spirit of China-Africa friendly cooperation proposed by President Xi Jinping, deepen the implementation of the consensus reached by the two heads of state, move forward courageously with people from all walks of life in Zambia, transform the profound traditional friendship between China and Zambia into an inexhaustible driving force of win-win cooperation in the new era, and continue to benefit the two countries and their peoples.

Senior Colonel Jiang Lei, the Defence Attaché of the Chinese Embassy in Zambia, said that over the past 40 years, China-Zambia military medical cooperation has achieved fruitful results and has become an important symbol of the friendship between the two militaries. Chinese military doctors will keep their mission firmly in mind, faithfully perform their duties, and promote new progress in bilateral cooperation.

Since 1984, the Chinese military has sent 27 medical teams to Zambia, totaling 332 people. The 27th medical team arrived in Lusaka on March 2.