BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping told his Zambian counterpart on a telephone call on Tuesday that China is willing to strengthen and broaden bilateral ties with Zambia, according to a Chinese state television report.
Over the past year, China-Zambia relations have maintained positive momentum, Xi said, adding that China will promote the entry of more Zambian products into the Chinese market, especially high-quality agricultural goods.
China will also strengthen counter-epidemic control cooperation with Zambia, he told President Hakainde Hichilema.
In 2020, Zambia became the first nation to default in the COVID-19 era. As of end-2021, Zambia’s external debt reached $17.27 billion, of which China held $5.78 billion.
The Chinese media report did not mention Zambia’s external debts.
(Reporting by Ryan Woo, editing by Ed Osmond)
