On 3 April, Chargé d’Affaires Wang Sheng and Hon. Situmbeko Musokotwane, Minister of Finance and National Planning of Zambia, jointly attended the handover ceremony of $500,000 humanitarian assistance in cash from the Chinese Government to Zambia.
Mr. Wang said as the cholera outbreak hit Zambia this January, the Chinese Government and people acted quickly and offered assistance to the best of its abilities. The past months have seen China and Zambia working together to materialize the nine assistance measures announced by China to keep cholera under control. It remains a long-term task to eradicate cholera. The $500,000 is provided by the Chinese Government to help the Zambian Government and people improve sanitation and water supply to avoid another outbreak. The Chinese Government will continue to support Zambia in the areas of vaccine production, the construction of water supply projects and the fight against drought.
Dr. Musokotwane said Zambia has been battling with the cholera epidermic since October 2023 when two cases where first reported in Lusaka. Since then, the country experienced an unfortunate surge in cases recorded resulting in the spread to 71 districts across the country. However, through the Government’s effective control and the Chinese Government’s strong support, the situation is now largely under control. But the threat of cholera remains. The Zambian side appreciates the ongoing support and assistance from the Chinese Government, which has made major contribution to the fight against cholera.
Mr. Wang said 11 years ago, when Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the vision of building a community with a share future for mankind, he aimed at offering a Chinese solution to what kind of place the world it should be and how to realise it. The goal is to build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world of lasting peace, universal security and shared prosperity. China has been working hard to make that vision a reality. In the 60 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Zambia, the two countries have proven to be true friends and win-win partners who share weal and woe. They have supported each other in the pursuit of development, and will continue to stand together in the fight against global challenges for a more peaceful, just and prosperous world. There is every reason to be confident about an even more promising 60 years of China-Zambia relations under the guidance of the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, delivering tangible benefits to the two countries and two peoples.
Dr. Musokotwane said the Chinese side has made significant contribution to Zambia’s economic recovery, with its active coordination and facilitation during the debt restructuring process as a most recent example. The Chingola-Kasumbalesa Road, as the first PPP project led by a Chinese enterprise, has become an excellent model for Zambia to explore the PPP cooperation model. The Lusaka-Ndola road, whose construction is about to start, will also adopt the PPP model. It is hoped that more Chinese investors will invest in Zambia and help with its economic recovery.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of Zambia.
