An All-Dimensional Leap for the All-Weather Friendship
全天候友谊实现全方位跨越
Ambassador Du Xiaohui’s Article Published on Mainstream Media in Zambia
驻赞比亚大使杜晓晖在赞比亚主流媒体发表署名文章
6 June 2022
2022年6月6日
On 31st May, President Xi Jinping had a telephone conversation with President Hakainde Hichilema. The two Heads of State had an in-depth exchange of views and reached an important consensus on consolidating China-Zambia friendship and deepening mutually beneficial cooperation. The dialogue provides political guidance on the all-dimensional development of the all-weather friendship for the foreseeable future. As today’s world is faced with three major challenges of economic downturn, Covid-19 pandemic and climate change, the two Presidents, through a telephone wire, made top-level designs for the bilateral relations. The conversation is also of great significance for the relationship between China and Africa, and even for the China’s relationship with other developing countries.
5月31日，习近平主席同希奇莱马总统通电话，就深化巩固中赞友好、深化互利合作深入交换意见，并达成重要共识，为未来一个时期中赞全天候友谊全方位发展提供了政治引领。在当前世界面临经济复苏、新冠疫情、气候变化三大挑战的背景下，这次通话不仅对中赞两国来说是一次重要的顶层设计，更对中非关系乃至中国与发展中国家的关系来说意义重大。
The friendship is unbreakable. President Xi Jinping has pointed out that China and Zambia are all-weather friends enjoying traditional and amicable relations and unbreakable friendship. He stresses that the two sides should grasp bilateral relations from a strategic height and support each other on issues concerning respective core interests. China attaches great importance to China-Zambia relations, and stands ready to work with Zambia to consolidate and deepen the friendship. President Hichilema says that Zambia is ready to consolidate and deepen the traditional friendship forged by the elder generations of leaders of Zambia and China, and push for greater development of bilateral ties to benefit the two peoples in the spirit of high-level mutual trust and cooperation. The two Heads of State are also looking forward to reactivating TAZARA, which has been a monument for China-Zambia and China-Africa friendship, so that the railway can be kept updated in accordance with the trend of the times. After the phone call, President Hichilema immediately left the State House for the commissioning ceremony of the Kenneth Kaunda International Conference Centre, to witness a new symbolic project of the friendship completed and put into utilization. That was another highlight of the Zambian leader carrying forward the traditional friendship.
友谊牢不可破。习近平主席指出，中赞两国是传统友好的“全天候朋友”，中赞友谊牢不可破。他强调双方要坚持从战略高度把握双边关系，在涉及彼此核心利益问题上相互支持。中方高度重视中赞关系，愿同赞方一道，巩固和深化中赞友好。希奇莱马总统说，赞方愿巩固深化中赞两国老一辈领导人建立的传统友谊，本着高度互信和合作精神，推动赞中关系取得更大发展，造福两国人民。两国领导人也期待激活坦赞铁路这座中赞友谊、中非友谊的丰碑，赋予其新的时代内涵。通话结束后，希奇莱马总统旋即赴中国援建卡翁达国际会议中心交付仪式，见证中赞友谊新的标志性工程建成投入使用。这也是传统友谊的传承。
The solidarity is unshakable. President Xi Jinping emphasizes that China and Zambia are both developing countries, and that promoting solidarity and cooperation with Zambia and other African countries is China’s long-term and firm strategic choice. The Belt and Road Initiative, Global Development Initiative and Global Security Initiative, proposed by President Xi, offer certainty and stability to the world full of turbulence and changes. They are a clear solution to meeting developing countries’ aspirations for peace, development and prosperity. President Hichilema says that Zambia supports all the three Initiatives and stands ready to work with China to actively advance their implementation. In order to defend the solidarity and common interests of the developing world, China and Zambia, together with other developing countries, need to adhere to independent foreign policies, firmly safeguard international fairness and justice, and uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order underpinned by international law.
团结毫不动摇。习近平主席强调，中赞同为发展中国家，发展同赞比亚等非洲国家的团结合作，是中方长期、坚定的战略选择。习主席提出的“一带一路”倡议、全球发展倡议和全球安全倡议为动荡变化的世界提供了确定性和稳定性，为发展中国家和平、发展、繁荣的愿望提供了明确方案。希奇莱马总统表示，赞方支持这三大倡议，愿同中方积极推进落实。维护发展中国家团结和共同利益，需要中国、赞比亚及其他发展中国家坚持奉行独立自主外交政策，坚定维护国际公平正义，坚定维护以联合国为核心的国际体系和以国际法为基础的国际秩序。
The cooperation will be elevated to a higher level. In 2021, the trade volume between China and Zambia hit a record high and Zambia became the country attracting the most Chinese direct investment in Africa. President Xi Jinping believes that the cooperation between the two countries enjoys huge potential and bright prospects. According to President Hichilema, Zambia will work with China to deepen all-round cooperation within the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). We should strengthen strategic communication and policy synergy, advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and fully implement the nine programs of FOCAC. China is willing to promote more Zambian goods, especially quality agricultural products, to enter the Chinese market. China will also deepen cooperation with African countries, including Zambia, in healthcare, poverty mitigation and agricultural development, trade and investment, green development, digital economy and other fields, help boost economic recovery and sustainable development in Africa, and work toward a China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era.
合作再上台阶。2021年，中赞双边贸易额创历史新高，赞比亚成为吸引中国直接投资最多的非洲国家。习近平主席相信中赞两国合作潜力巨大，前景光明。希奇莱马总统愿同中方深化在中非合作论坛框架下的全方位合作。我们要加强战略沟通和政策对接，推进高质量共建“一带一路”，全面落实中非合作论坛“九项工程”。中方愿推动更多赞比亚商品特别是优质农产品进入中国市场，并同赞比亚等非洲国家一道，深化卫生健康、减贫惠农、贸易投资、绿色发展、数字经济等领域合作，助力非洲实现经济复苏和可持续发展，推动构建新时代中非命运共同体。
It will take efforts from both sides to implement the important consensus reached by the two Heads of State on the all-dimensional cooperation. China will work hard with the Zambian side to take concrete actions and bring more benefits of the all-dimensional cooperation to the two peoples.
两国元首关于全方位合作的重要共识需要双方共同落实。中方愿同赞方一道努力，以实际行动推动全方位合作的成果更多惠及两国人民。
First, we should cement mutual trust and improve the traditional friendship. Last week, China and Zambia celebrated a series of happy events. The telephone dialogue between President Xi Jinping and President Hichilema has enhanced political mutual trust. The China-aided International Conference Centre commissioned to Zambia has improved Zambia’s international image. The China-aided milling plants that was commissioned on Friday have bolstered Zambia’s ability to ensure food security. The friendship stems from mutual trust, which is the most valuable and precious asset of the bilateral relationship. We should protect the mutual trust and add value to it, so that the asset can make more profits. The two Heads of State have also emphasized on sharing and learning from each other’s experience in state governance. President Hichilema wishes the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China a complete success. The level of political mutual trust will be elevated through more interactions between our two ruling parties.
一是巩固互信，增进传统友谊。上一周，中赞友好喜事连连，习近平主席同希奇莱马总统的通话巩固了两国政治互信，中国援建交付赞方的国际会议中心提升了赞国际形象，中国援建的玉米粉厂增强了赞方保障粮食安全能力。友好源于互信，这是两国关系最宝贵的资产，我们应使其保值增值、创造新的收益。两位元首都强调了治国理政经验交流借鉴，希奇莱马总统并预祝中国共产党第二十次全国代表大会取得圆满成功，政治互信水平将在两国执政党交往合作中进一步提高。
Second, we should enhance practical cooperation and gain economic traction. For the first quarter of this year, the trade volume between China and Zambia was 2.119 billion US dollars, increasing by 54.5% compared to the same period of last year, and Zambia enjoyed a huge surplus of 1.733 billion US dollars from trade with China. However, President Xi welcomes even more quality products exported from Zambia into China’s market. At the moment, China is working with Zambia to exempt 98% of Zambian products to China from tariffs. The preferential treatment will further expand Zambia’s exports to China and, in turn, help create more foreign exchanges for Zambia and improve Zambia’s balance of payments. In addition, we are actively encouraging and supporting more investment from Chinese enterprises to Zambia, to help Zambia catch up with the pace of the times, and speed up its independent development and industrialization. The Chinese Embassy in Zambia plans to hold a forum for Chinese investment in Zambia, as a platform on more Chinese enterprises to find business opportunities in Zambia.
二是深化合作，注入增长动力。今年第一季度，中赞双边贸易额21.19亿美元，同比增长54.5%，其中赞对华享有17.33亿美元的巨额顺差，但习主席欢迎更多的赞比亚优质商品进入中国。目前，中方正在推动实施98%的赞输华商品免关税待遇，这项优惠政策将继续扩大赞对华出口，帮助赞增加外汇收入、改善国际收支。不仅如此，我们还大力鼓励和支持中国企业对赞投资，助赞跟上时代步伐，加速自主发展和工业化进程。中国驻赞使馆还计划举办中赞投资论坛，为中国企业投资赞比亚搭建平台。
Third, we should pursue common development and take a lead in international cooperation. The Belt and Road Initiative, Global Development Initiative and Global Security Initiative are the global public goods that China offers to the international community to solve the development predicament and bridge the world’s peace deficit. The two Heads of State have reached an important consensus on actively advancing the implementation of the three initiatives. Going forward, both sides need further coordination and cooperation on major international issues of mutual concern, as a means to strengthen solidarity, defend international justice and safeguard legitimate rights and common interests of developing countries. That’s how China and Zambia can contribute to a community with a shared future for mankind.
三是共同发展，引领国际合作。“一带一路”倡议、全球发展倡议和全球安全倡议是中国为国际社会解决发展困境、破解和平赤字提供的公共产品，两国元首就积极推进落实这三大倡议达成了重要共识。下一步，双方还要继续就共同关心的重大国际问题加强协调配合，巩固团结协作，维护国际公平正义，维护发展中国家正当权益和共同利益，为推动构建人类命运共同体贡献中赞力量。
The friendly cooperation between China and Zambia have become a benchmark for China-Africa friendship and a model for South-South cooperation. President Xi Jinping demands that bilateral ties should be pushed to higher levels and broader areas. President Hichilema further believes that there is no limit to what we can do together for the mutual benefit of our two nations. With the personal care, guidance and promotion of the two Heads of State, the all-dimensional friendship that China and Zambia are enjoying will acquire steady, sustained and increased growth, and remain an excellent example of developing countries’ solidarity and friendship in the new era.
中赞友好合作是中非合作、南南合作的典范。习近平主席要求推动两国关系朝着更高水平、更广领域发展。希奇莱马总统认为两国互利合作无上限。在两国元首的亲自关心、亲自指挥、亲自推动下，中赞全方位友好必将行稳致远、进一步巩固深化，在新时代继续成为发展中国家团结友好的标杆。