Speech By President Hichilema During The China – Zambia Trade And Investment Forum 28th To 29th September, 2022

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SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ZAMBIA MR. HAKAINDE HICHILEMA DURING THE CHINA – ZAMBIA TRADE AND INVESTMENT FORUM 28TH TO 29TH SEPTEMBER, 2022

HON. CHIPOKA MULENGA, MP., MINISTER OF COMMERCE, TRADE AND INDUSTRY AND ALL CABINET MINISTERS PRESENT;
HIS EXCELLENCY, MR. DU XIAOHUI, THE AMBASSADOR OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA TO THE REPUBLIC OF ZAMBIA;
SENIOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS FROM BOTH ZAMBIA AND CHINA;
CAPTAINS OF INDUSTRY FROM BOTH ZAMBIA AND CHINA;
DISTINGUISHED GUESTS;
MEMBERS OF THE PRESS;
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

IT IS GRATIFYING TO ADDRESS YOU ON THIS OCCASION TO MARK THE FIRST-EVER CHINA-ZAMBIA TRADE AND INVESTMENT FORUM UNDER THE THEME: “CHINA – ZAMBIA TRADE AND INVESTMENT FORUM IN THE NEW ERA: ALL WEATHER, ALL DIMENSIONAL AND HIGH – QUALITY FRIENDSHIP.”

THIS FORUM IS A DIRECT OUTCOME OF A TELEPHONE CONVERSATION WE HAD WITH PRESIDENT XI JINPING, PRESIDENT OF THE PEOPLES’ REPUBLIC OF CHINA IN JUNE, 2022; DURING WHICH WE AGREED TO MAINTAIN THE MOMENTUM OF STRONG CHINA-ZAMBIA BILATERAL RELATIONS, UNDERPINNED BY A RESURGENCE IN THE TRADE AND INVESTMENT VOLUMES BETWEEN OUR TWO COUNTRIES.

WE, THEREFORE, ARE GRATEFUL TO PRESIDENT XI JINPING, THE GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA; AND INDEED, THANKFUL FOR THE UNRELENTING EFFORTS OF HIS EXCELLENCY, AMBASSADOR DU XIAOHUI, FOR ACTUALIZING AND CO – HOSTING THIS VERY IMPORTANT FORUM WITH OUR GOVERNMENT.

WE ALSO COMMEND THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE, TRADE AND INDUSTRY AND THE ZAMBIA DEVELOPMENT AGENCY FOR ALL THEIR EFFORTS TO ENSURE THE SUCCESSFUL HOSTING OF THIS EVENT TODAY.

DISTINGUISHED GUESTS,

THIS FORUM SEEKS TO STIMULATE DIRECT INTERACTION BETWEEN THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND THE BUSINESS COMMUNITIES OF OUR TWO COUNTRIES, THROUGH THE PROMOTION OF TRADE AND INVESTMENT COOPERATION.

BASED ON OUR SHARED COMMITMENT WITH PRESIDENT XI JINPING, THE ZAMBIA-CHINA TRADE FORUM IS ENVISAGED TO DELIVER THE FOLLOWING:

FACILITATE INVESTMENTS IN MINING, MANUFACTURING, CONSTRUCTION, AGRICULTURE, ICT AND DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT, HIGH QUALITY INDUSTRIES DEVELOPMENT, ENERGY, GREEN ECONOMY AND PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTION;

ENHANCE MARKET ACCESS AND COLLABORATION ON TRADE EXPANSION BY FOLLOWING UP AND IMPLEMENTING AGREEMENTS ON QUOTAS ETC., BEEF AND SOYA BEANS; AND

SET UP JOINT VENTURES ON VALUE ADDITION TO RAW MATERIALS.

DISTINGUISHED GUESTS,

CHINA REMAINS A KEY AND MAJOR TRADE PARTNER, WITH ZAMBIA’S EXPORTS TO CHINA ESTIMATED AT 1.2 BILLION UNITED STATES DOLLARS IN 2021, WHILE IMPORTS OVER THE SAME PERIOD, WERE ESTIMATED AT 896 MILLION UNITED STATES DOLLARS – CULMINATING IN A POSITIVE TRADE BALANCE OF APPROXIMATELY 847 MILLION UNITED STATES DOLLARS, IN FAVOUR OF ZAMBIA.

AS SUCH, ZAMBIA SHALL CONTINUE TO DEEPEN HER TRADE AND INVESTMENT COOPERATION WITH CHINA BY ENHANCING EXPORTS OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS, FOOD AND OTHER NON-RESOURCE PRODUCTS TO CHINA, WHILE LOOKING FORWARD TO CHINA OPENING THE “GREEN LANES” FOR AFRICAN PRODUCTION.

DISTINGUISHED GUESTS,

WE ARE ELATED TO NOTE THAT CHINESE COMPANIES HAVE AN ESTIMATED INVESTMENT OF OVER 9.4 BILLION UNITED STATES DOLLARS ACROSS OUR SECTORS SUCH AS MINING, MANUFACTURING, CONSTRUCTION AND ENGINEERING, FRESH AGRO PROCESSING, AMONG OTHERS.

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ZAMBIA CHINA ECONOMIC AND TRADE COOPERATION ZONE, THE FIRST CHINESE OVERSEAS ECONOMIC AND TRADE COOPERATION ZONE IN AFRICA, AS WELL AS THE FIRST MULTI – FACILITY ECONOMIC ZONE IN ZAMBIA, CONTINUES TO ATTEST TO THE STRONG, ALL WEATHER, ALL DIMENSIONAL, HIGH QUALITY ZAMBIA – CHINA INVESTMENT TIES.

WE ARE DELIGHTED TO STATE, AT THIS JUNCTURE, THAT ZAMBIA, WELCOMES CHINA’S UNDERTAKING OF TEN (10) INDUSTRIALISATION AND EMPLOYMENT PROMOTION PROJECTS FOR AFRICA UNDER THE NINE (9) FOCAC PRIORITY PROGRAMMES THAT ARE TARGETED AT SUPPORTING SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (SMES) – REPRESENTING A SIGNIFICANT SHIFT IN CHINA’S POLICY FROM IMPORT AND EXPORT, TO LOCALISED PROCESSING AND PRODUCTION THROUGH INVESTING AND ESTABLISHING PLANTS IN ZAMBIA.

THIS POLICY FURTHER ENTAILS A SHIFT FROM THE ENGINEERING PROCUREMENT AND CONSTRUCTION (EPC) MODEL, TO INVESTMENT-CONSTRUCTION OPERATION, PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP (PPP) AND OTHER MODELS.

DISTINGUISHED GUESTS,

GOVERNMENT SHALL, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR, CONTINUE PRIORITISING AGRICULTURE, MINING, MANUFACTURING AND TOURISM AS PROPELLERS OF ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION, WHILE ENERGY, TRANSPORT AND LOGISTICS, TECHNOLOGY, WATER, INFRASTRUCTURE, AS WELL AS SKILLS, ARE BEING REPOSITIONED AS ENABLERS OF THIS TRANSFORMATION AGENDA.

OUR COLLECTIVE AIM IS, AND SHALL REMAIN, THAT OF DELIVERING ROBUST AND COMPETITIVE PRIVATE SECTOR-LED INDUSTRIALISATION, ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION AND ULTIMATELY, SOCIO-ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION.

DISTINGUISHED GUESTS,

IN LINE WITH THE VISION 2030 AND OUR RECENTLY LAUNCHED 8TH NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN, WE ARE POSITIONING ZAMBIA AS THE INVESTMENT DESTINATION OF CHOICE WITHIN THE REGION AND THE CONTINENT. WE WILL ACHIEVE THIS BY ENSURING SECURITY, CONSISTENCY AND PREDICTABILITY WITHIN THE BUSINESS AND INVESTMENT ENVIRONMENT, THROUGH ENHANCED POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC STABILITY, ABUNDANT NATURAL RESOURCES, A SKILLED LABOUR FORCE AND A LIBERALISED MARKET ECONOMY.

TODAY WE WISH TO EARNESTLY INVITE YOU TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST CONTINENTAL FREE TRADE AREA – THE AFCFTA, WHICH BOASTS A MARKET SIZE OF OVER 1.2 BILLION PEOPLE AND A GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (GDP) ESTIMATED AT 2.5 TRILLION UNITED STATES DOLLARS, ACROSS ALL THE 55 AFRICAN COUNTRIES.

DISTINGUISHED GUESTS,

IN CONCLUSION, WE WOULD LIKE TO REITERATE OUR GOVERNMENT’S COMMITMENT TO CHINA AND ZAMBIA’S LONGSTANDING PARTNERSHIP FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH, THE CREATION OF JOBS, AND DELIVERING IMPROVED LIVELIHOODS FOR OUR PEOPLE.

WE ALSO WISH TO REAFFIRM OUR COMMITMENT TO PROVIDING A CONDUCIVE BUSINESS AND INVESTMENT CLIMATE, DRIVEN BY SOUND ECONOMIC POLICIES WHICH WILL ENABLE THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO EXPLORE THE SIGNIFICANT TRADE AND INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES THAT EXIST BETWEEN OUR TWO NATIONS.

I THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION.

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