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Transcript/Script((PLAYBOOK SLUG: Zambia President China Visit
HEADLINE: Zambia President Hakainde Hichilema in China on State Visit
TEASER:
PUBLISHED AT: 9/12/2023 at 10:20am
BYLINE: Kathy Short
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Lusaka, Zambia
VIDEOGRAPHER: Richard Kille
VIDEO EDITOR:
ASSIGNING EDITOR: Purnell Murdock
SCRIPT EDITORS: DLJ, Reifenrath
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA/Chinese Embassy Lusaka/Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zambia
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X__ RADIO __
TRT: 2:40
VID APPROVED BY: MAS
TYPE: TV KPG
EDITOR NOTES:))
((INTRO))
[[Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema is in China this week at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. The state visit comes after much of Zambia’s debt to China and other countries was restructured in June through a $6.3 billion deal approved by the International Monetary Fund. Kathy Short reports from the Zambian capital, Lusaka.]]
((NARRATOR))
In 2020, Zambia became the first African country to default on its sovereign debt during the Covid-19 pandemic, which depressed economies worldwide.
In June, Zambia reached an agreement with its government creditors to restructure $6.3 billion in loans. The International Monetary Fund, or IMF, approved the deal.
China is Zambia’s biggest foreign creditor, with the African country owing more than $4 billion to the Export-Import Bank of China alone.
According to some analysts, Zambia was a victim of debt-trap diplomacy, a practice in which a creditor country lends money to poor nations mainly to increase political leverage.
China has denied those allegations, and both Zambia and China say bilateral relations are strong and warm.
Thabo Kawana is the spokesperson for Zambia’s Ministry of Information and Media.
((Thabo Kawana, Ministry of Information Spokesperson, male, ENGLISH )) ((Zoom))
“China and Zambia have had a very strong relationship that are in historical, and the trade can be traced way back from our founding fathers, in this case Chairman Mao of China and President Kenneth Kaunda.”
However, Nalukui Milapo, a University of Zambia lecturer in development, governance and international relations, says China has benefitted more from trade in Africa than have countries like Zambia.
Milapo says that the IMF restructuring deal did not go far enough, and that she hopes the Chinese and Zambian presidents can discuss more ways to relieve Zambia’s economic burden.
((Nalukui Milapo, University of Zambia Lecturer (female, English))) (40 SECS), VOA))
“I think it will be important to see if there are modalities around even debt forgiveness. If they could get into those discussions. If China is our friend, I think that we expect a better deal than what we actually got.”
In a message to commemorate President Hichilema’s visit to Beijing, the Chinese ambassador to Zambia, Du Xiaohui (Duu-Sia-Hwei), said China is committed to trading fairly with developing countries like Zambia.
((Du Xiaohui, Chinese Ambassador to Zambia, male, English))) ((Mandatory courtesy: Chinese Embassy, Lusaka))
“In 2022 the total trade volume between the two countries reached 6.73 billion U.S. dollars, which is a 30.2 percent increase and record high.”
((NARRATOR))
According to the Zambia Development Agency, the more than 600 Chinese businesses in the country have invested more than $6 billion into the economy.
The investment has created more than 50,000 local jobs in agriculture, mining and other key sectors of the Zambian economy, the agency says.
((Kathy Short, VOA News, Lusaka, Zambia))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateSeptember 12, 2023 12:23 EDT
BylineKathy Short
Brand / Language ServiceUS Agency for Global Media, Voice of America - English
