Chinese FM says ready to deepen cooperation with Zambia

China is ready to work with Zambia, an all-weather friend, to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said Monday.

Talking via phone with Zambian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Stanley Kasongo Kakubo, Qin recalled the telephone conversation between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema in May last year, which has charted the course for the development of bilateral relations.

China is willing to work with Zambia to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, enhance political mutual trust, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, strengthen mutual support, and promote the stable and long-term development of bilateral relations, said Qin.

China is ready to strengthen practical cooperation with Zambia in various fields under the high-quality cooperation of the Belt and Road Initiative and within the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, said Qin, adding that China welcomes more high-quality Zambian goods to enter the Chinese market.

China and Zambia should strengthen coordination and cooperation on international and regional issues, jointly oppose unilateralism, protectionism and bullying practices, and safeguard the common interests of the two countries and other developing countries.

For his part, Kakubo said Zambia and China enjoy profound traditional friendship.

He thanked China for its strong support for Zambia's national construction and development over the years and hopes to continue to deepen bilateral practical cooperation in various fields and further develop the all-weather friendship between the two countries.

Zambia firmly adheres to the one-China principle and is ready to strengthen mutual support with China on issues concerning each other's core interests and major concerns, Kakubo added.