Zambian president concludes successful visit to China to strengthen economic partnerships
Zambian President Hakaindé Hichilema recently completed a six-day visit to China, aiming to strengthen economic partnerships between the two countries. This visit marks an important step in relations between Zambia and China, which had previously been at half mast since the election of President Hichilema, considered closer to Western countries.
During this visit, President Hichilema participated in meetings with business leaders and toured various industrial facilities. He visited Shenzhen and Fuzhou before ending his visit in Beijing, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. During his travels, the Zambian president had the opportunity to visit factories, notably the BYD company specializing in the construction of electric cars, and to meet major players in the telecommunications sector such as Tencent and Huawei.
The objective of this visit was to relaunch cooperation between Zambia and China, particularly in the field of digitalization and the assembly of smartphones. Indeed, Zambia faces a significant debt, a large part of which is held by China, which has financed numerous infrastructure projects in the country, as part of its New Silk Road initiative.
This visit was considered a success, although it was long overdue. Anthony Mukwita, former Zambian ambassador to Germany, highlighted the importance of the visit in strengthening ties between the two countries. According to him, President Hichilema had already made numerous trips abroad, particularly to the West, but had not yet visited Beijing. Given the size of Zambia’s external debt to China, Mukwita believes it would have made sense for the president to make his first visit to the country to which he owes the most money.
In June, China agreed to renegotiate Zambia’s debt, which helped revive relations between the two countries. This visit therefore marks a new beginning in this relationship, described as “friendship in all weathers”. Zambia and China will also celebrate 60 years of their diplomatic relations next year.
This visit by the Zambian president to China shows the importance of economic partnerships between African countries and China, which is investing massively in the development of infrastructure in Africa. It also highlights the economic and political challenges that African countries face when contracting large debts with foreign partners.. It is essential for African leaders to strike a balance between economic development and debt sustainability, while seeking mutually beneficial partnerships with their various international partners.