By Mulenga Banda, Lusaka
President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia has said that Zambia’s debt situation needs to be unlocked so that the country’s economy could open up.
Hichilema stated this in Lusaka when the Director General African Affairs, for the People’s Republic of China, Mr Wu Peng, paid him a courtesy visit to deliver a message from President Xi Jinping
“Today (Friday) we received a courtesy call from the Director General African Affairs, for the People’s Republic of China, Mr Wu Peng, who is in Zambia with a message from His Excellency President Xi Jinping.
“We wholeheartedly thanked the People’s Republic of China for agreeing to co-chair the IMF Common Framework meeting with France. Zambia’s debt situation needs to be unlocked so that Zambia’s economy can be opened up.
“Mr Peng indicated that his country is ready to partner with Zambia for economic growth and improved living standards for our people.
“We agreed to work closely to further strengthen an all-weather relationship which saw the TAZARA Railway built by our Chinese brothers and sisters, and helped to open up Zambia to the sea port of Dar-Es-Salaam in Tanzania.
‘We are delighted that the phone call we had with President Xi, just over two weeks ago, has already begun to bear fruit.”.
