GOVERNMENT SHOULD PRIORITIZE ZAMBIA – CHINA RELATIONS.
13/01/2024// LUSAKA.
Socialist Party National Youth League wishes to commend the Chinese Government for donating 20 million Kwacha as well as human resource towards the fight against cholera.
Zambia-China relations is the country’s oldest marriage. In 1974, during his meeting with our founding father and First Republican President Dr Kaunda, Chairman Mao Zedong, the leader of the People’s Republic of China (as he then was) for the first time openly elaborated the well-known Three Worlds theory, and declared that China would stand firmly with all other Third-World countries including Zambia.
Two days ago, Chinese Ambassador to Zambia DU XIAOHUI explained that the official assistance in cash will be delivered as soon as necessary procedures are completed. The Association of Chinese Corporations in Zambia will also donate water tanks with a capacity of up to One Hundred tonnes per day and a transportation truck to supply clean drinking water to 20 thousand people every day.
We recognize that Zambia-China relationship has been called an all-weather friendship. The two countries have a long history of cordial bilateral ties which produced tangible and visible win-win outcomes. The evidence of the China-Zambia cooperation is visible all-over Zambia; the TAZARA, the Tuta Road, the Kaoma-Mongu Road, the Kafue lower hydro electricity project, the KK international airport, the Lusaka Bulk Water project, the Levy Mwanawasa University Teaching Hospital, the Kenneth Kaunda wing of the Mulungushi International Conference Centre , the ultra modern National Heroes Stadium in Lusaka and the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola, and the modern housing for our security and defense personnel dotted around the country, to mention only a few.
Additionally, China had been instrumental when our founding father Dr Kenneth Kaunda and others led Zambia in overthrowing British colonial rule in southern Africa, and supported freedom fighters in South Africa, Angola, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Namibia in pursuit of national liberation through armed struggles.
In those glorious days, China and African countries stood together in the strong belief that the majority of the oppressed will secure the victory. China provided firm and concrete assistance to the liberation movements in southern Africa, ranging from media support and military strategies, to funds, weapons, supplies and personnel training. By so doing, China joined hands with Zambia to take tangible actions to ensure the success of the struggle for justice, equity and peace.
Consequently, in October 1964, Zambia declared the establishment of diplomatic relations with China right after its independence.
It was the first southern African country to establish diplomatic ties with China. To cement this bilateral relationship, in 1971, as one of the 23 sponsor countries of Resolution 2758, Zambia, together with other Asian, African and Latin American countries, carried China into the United Nations.
The darlings of those in government today, the West and their Allies opposed China’s help to many countries in Africa. With China as one of the largest economy in the world, a Super Power with a permanent seat on the UN Security Council is willing to treat third world countries as equals and engage in sincere, practical and win-win cooperation. In the words of our Founding Father and First Republican President Dr Kenneth Kaunda a firm proponent of the Zambia-China relationship, “When the Western countries refused to help us, our Chinese brothers and sisters came and fought together with us. Is there anything that could surpass this friendship?”
Cde Gabriel Banda,
SP National Youth Secretary.