President Hichilema must engage China on a high diplomatic level
…and explain where Zambia-China Relations stand after the US date says Amb. Anthony Mukwita
From Diamond TV 22.12.22
“In the absence of a clarification from the President’s office, right thinking Zambians and China are at sea. We need an explanation, has Zambia abandoned China for Uncle Sam or not? No one is talking.” Amb. Anthony Mukwita
Ambassador Anthony Mukwita has advised the government of President Hakainde Hichilema to engage China as a matter of urgency and explain the diplomatic hic hup recently caused by the United States senate committee for international relations that claimed that Zambia will now only deal with America and not China.
Ambassador Mukwita made the call on a live television interview with the widely followed Diamond TV available on DSTV and Facebook hosted by Andrew Mwansa where he also called on the government to categorically state where they stand on ´Zambia, China and the United States relations.´
“We saw a twit by a ranking member of the US senator Mr Jim Risch stating as a fact that he had discussions with our President Mr Hakainde Hichilema regarding China and that Zambia will now deal with the United States and not China which was undiplomatic in the absence of a statement from Zambia,” Ambassador Mukwita said, “in the absence of a clarification from the President’s office, right thinking Zambians and China are at sea. We need an explanation, has Zambia abandoned China for Uncle Sam or not? No one is talking.”
Mr Mukwita, the former Ambassador of Zambia to the Federal Republic of Germany, published author and academician expressed concern that Zambia was getting entangled in a ´Thucydides Trap´ of a geopolitical war between China and the United States where Zambia would never win.
He gave an example of the stupendous amount of money the United States is spending supporting the war between Ukraine and Russia raging for ten months now where the United States has burnt US$19 billion already for Ukraine alone when Zambia has a US$15 billion foreign debt.
On the same programme, the Ambassador who is also an award-winning World Bank Investigative Journalism award winner said the only time Zambia will cease being foreign powers in geopolitics is when it becomes economically independent.
“It is sad that with all our copper and cobalt and arable land we still remain power and sway to the whims of foreign powers,” Ambassador Mukwita said.
He has written another book on the rise of China in Africa which is expected o be o the shelves and Amazon in January 2023, giving a critical look at Zambia´s relations with China and the United States as it relates to ordinary Zambians.
Ambassador Mukwita also expressed concern that it took President Hichilema about ten months to engage China, Zambia´s single largest creditor (Zambia owes China US$6 billion) while he openly shook hands with the west.
The full interview with thought provoking issues is available on the link below:
Note: Ambassador Anthony Mukwita´s book on the rise of China in Africa is under publication and will be on Amazon and all bookstores in Southern Africa next January 2023.
