Zhang Yu

JeniZhang13@163.com

PRESIDENT of the Republic of Zambia Hakainde Hichilema is paying a three-day visit to Shenzhen that ends today, as part of his state visit to China at the invitation of President Xi Jinping.

Shenzhen Party chief Meng Fanli met with him yesterday evening.

Shenzhen is the first stop of Hichilema’s state visit, which will last until Saturday.

He paid a visit to the Lianhua Hill Park in Futian District yesterday morning, laying flowers at the statue of the late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, and then headed to the Yantian International Container Terminals, also known as Hutchison Ports Yantian.

Hichilema said he hopes that more trade between China and Zambia could go through this port in the future.

Zambia and China’s trade stood at about US$6.7 billion last year, which was a 30% increase year on year, according to a CCTV report yesterday.

Hichilema is very keen to search for new areas of growth, the report said. One of those areas could be in the electric vehicles supply chain.

He visited BYD and Huawei in the afternoon to learn about Shenzhen’s experience in transforming itself from an agriculture-driven economy to a modern industrial powerhouse.

He will visit Tencent and ZTE today.

After finishing the Shenzhen tour, he will also travel to Jiangxi and Fujian provinces.

During Hichilema’s state visit to China, President Xi will hold a welcome ceremony and banquet for him, and the two heads of state will hold talks and jointly attend a signing ceremony of cooperation documents. Premier Li Qiang and Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, will also meet with Hichilema.

Zambia was the first country in southern Africa to establish diplomatic relations with China. The year 2024 will mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Zambia.

“Zambia is an important country in southern Africa. China and Zambia enjoy a traditional friendship. The two countries have deepened political mutual trust, achieved fruitful outcomes in practical cooperation and maintained sound cooperation in international and regional affairs,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a daily press briefing in Beijing earlier, when responding to a question on the visit.

It is expected that Hichilema’s visit will give a new boost to the all-round, in-depth growth of China-Zambia relations and further advance the friendly cooperation between the two countries.