As it pertains to Zambian Infrastructural development, Chinese companies can be attributed to many of the large-scale developments in the past decade. The Chinese Ambassador to Zambia discusses the progress made in Zambia due to Zambia-China partnerships.
European Times: How do you describe your role in terms of increasing Chinese Investment in Zambia?
Zhou Yuxiao: As Ambassador, it is my duty to maintain a strong diplomatic relationship between the Zambian Government to ensure continued partnership and business development. Currently there are over 400 registered Chinese Companies in Zambia; very few of these companies are owned by the Republic of China. There is a common misconception that all Chinese companies are subject to my authority as ambassador. They simply register with the Chinese Embassy, however, these companies are in no way subject to our power while in Zambia. As companies registered in Zambia, they are only subject to the laws and regulations of the GRZ.
European Times: One common misconception about Chinese businesses in Africa is that resources are taken with little benefit to the local populations. From your experience, how do you respond to this?
Zhou Yuxiao: Before coming to Zambia, I worked in Liberia. There was very little infrastructure there, and the Chinese companies did a bulk of the work to help develop the country such as building roads and bridges. Granted, Zambia was further ahead in development when Chinese development started to grow here just over a decade ago. However, Chinese firms have been quite involved in developing road and hydropower infrastructure. According to the perception, one would think that Chinese companies own a majority of mines in Zambia. In reality, the Chinese market share of copper mines is approximately 5%.
Chinese cumulative investment in Zambia has now surpassed €3.68 billion. This investment has created 50,000 jobs for local Zambians. We are damaged by misinformation, however, the facts speak for themselves. Zambians benefit from all of the Work that we do in Zambia.
European Times: The Zambian and Chinese Governments have called themselves ‘All Weather Friends’. Moving forward, how do you see yourself working to maintain this strong relationship?
Zhou Yuxiao: We work to educate and encourage every Chinese business in Zambia to understand the local culture. Where Chinese companies are wrong, we support the GRZ in correcting wrongdoing. Chinese companies work to improve Zambia while respecting local laws and regulations; this partnership benefits all parties involved.
