Xi Jinping Speaks with Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema on the Phone

On the afternoon of May 31, 2022, President Xi Jinping had a phone conversation with Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema.

Xi Jinping pointed out, China and Zambia are "all-weather friends" enjoying traditional and amicable relations and unbreakable friendship. In the past year, China-Zambia relations have maintained a positive momentum of development, with two-way trade volume hitting a record high and Zambia becoming the country attracting the most Chinese direct investment in Africa. The cooperation between the two countries enjoys huge potential and bright prospects. China attaches great importance to China-Zambia relations, and stands ready to work with Zambia to consolidate and deepen the China-Zambia friendship, and push bilateral ties to higher levels and broader areas.

Xi Jinping stressed, the two sides should grasp bilateral relations from a strategic height, support each other on issues concerning respective core interests, strengthen inter-party exchanges, and share experience in state governance. The two sides should strengthen strategic communication and policy synergy, fully implement the nine programs of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, promote more Zambian goods, especially quality agricultural products, to enter the Chinese market, and strengthen anti-pandemic cooperation. Both sides should carry forward the Tanzania-Zambia Railway (Tazara) spirit, keep it updated in accordance with the trend of the times, and make Tazara an important transportation channel in the region.

Xi Jinping stressed, China and Zambia are both developing countries, and promoting solidarity and cooperation with Zambia and other African countries is China's long-term and firm strategic choice. The two sides should adhere to independent foreign policy, firmly safeguard international fairness and justice, and uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order underpinned by international law. China stands ready to work with Africa to advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, deepen cooperation in healthcare, poverty mitigation and agricultural development, trade and investment, green development, digital economy and other fields, help boost economic recovery and sustainable development in Africa, and promote the building of a China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era.

Hichilema said, the Chinese people, under President Xi Jinping's outstanding leadership, have achieved prosperity and development, and the Zambian side deeply admires the achievements China has made. He thanked China for its long-term and significant support for Zambia's national development and for offering vaccines and other assistance to Zambia in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Zambia is ready to strengthen exchanges with and learn from the Communist Party of China (CPC), consolidate and deepen the traditional friendship forged by the elder generations of leaders of Zambia and China, and push for greater development of bilateral ties to benefit the two peoples in the spirit of high-level mutual trust and cooperation. Zambia firmly adheres to the one-China principle, and supports the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, all of which were proposed by China. Zambia stands ready to work with China to actively advance the implementation of the three initiatives, and deepen all-round cooperation within the FOCAC framework. Hichilema wishes the 20th National Congress of the CPC a complete success.