On September 2, 2018, the "Zambia-China Business Forum" jointly sponsored by China Nonferrous Metal Mining (Group) Co., Ltd. (CNMC) and Embassy of the Republic of Zambia in China was held at the headquarters of CNMC. This is an important forum held on the eve of the Beijing Summit of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum, an important measure to implement President Xi Jinping's idea of building a closer "community with a shared future between China and Africa as a whole" and the requirement of "promoting 'The Belt and Road' Construction both in substance and depth", a concrete action to deepen the principles toward Africa of "sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith" and the approach of upholding justice and pursuing shared interests and also a strong support for the important consensus of "deepening mutual beneficial cooperation between two countries and co-building 'The Belt and Road' on the basis of park construction" reached by President Xi Jinping and President Lungu at their meeting on September 1. Meanwhile, this business forum will further strengthen the confidence of CNMC in its development in Zambia, build bridges for Chinese and foreign enterprises to invest and develop in Zambia, inject vitality for more Chinese and Zambian enterprises to strengthen cooperation, and will usher in a new era for "The Belt and Road" and Africa and Zambia development.
 

Edgar C. Lungu, President of Zambia, who came to China to attend the Beijing Summit of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum, attended the Forum. With warm applause, President Lungu made a warm speech. He said that the traditional friendship between China and Zambia was created and nurtured by the older generation of leaders of the two countries. The Tanzanian-Zambian Railway witnesses the friendship between the two peoples. The two countries have long-term friendship and shared destiny, and our friendship remains unshakable and becomes even firmer as time goes by. China and Zambia are true friends, good partners and good brothers. He praised the important contribution made by CNMC in promoting Zambia's economic and social development from the height of China-Africa cooperation and China-Zambia cooperation, and praised CNMC as an important force in promoting all-weather friendship between China and Zambia. He indicated that the meeting with President Xi Jinping reached a broad consensus. The upcoming Beijing Summit of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum will open a new chapter in China-Zambia friendly cooperation. Next year marks the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Zambia, and he hoped that CNMC will bring more Chinese enterprises into Zambia. The Zambian government will pursue an open investment policy, constantly optimize the business environment and provide various conveniences, so as to strongly support the development of Chinese enterprises. Prior to this, President Lungu attended the commissioning ceremony of the south-east ore body of Zambian Chambishi Copper Mines invested by CNMC on August 22, met with CNMC Chairman Wang Tongzhou and his party at the hotel where he stayed on September 1 and encouraged CNMC to achieve better and faster development in Zambia.

​
Panorama of Forum Scene​

Xiao Yaqing, Director of SASAC of State Council, attended the Forum and delivered a speech. He indicated that, under the effects of deep friendship between China and Zambia, 17 national enterprises, including CNMC, actively enter, entrench in and integrate into Zambia. They cooperated extensively with Zambian enterprises in various fields such as mining, transportation, electricity, manufacturing and agriculture, and established economic and trade cooperation "incubators" such as Zambia-China Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone (ZCCZ). SASAC and various national enterprises will conscientiously implement the spirit of the Beijing Summit of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum, especially the spirit of President Xi Jinping's important keynote speech at opening ceremony and the important consensus reached between President Xi Jinping and President Lungu, adhere to the principle of seeking shared benefits through extensive consultation and joint contribution, firmly grasp the new opportunities brought by "The Belt and Road" and Africa development, and push China-Africa enterprise pragmatic cooperation to a higher level. As a regulatory body, SASAC will encourage and support various national enterprises, including CNMC, to carry out more extensive and in-depth cooperation with Zambian enterprises in various fields such as energy resources development, infrastructure construction, capacity cooperation and cultural exchanges on the basis of marketization, and strive to help the industrialization and modernization process of Zambia, and make new and greater contributions to the new level and new achievement of pragmatic economic and trade cooperation between China and Zambia.

Wang Tongzhou, Chairman, Secretary of Party Committee and General Manager of CNMC, chaired the forum and delivered a welcome speech. He thanked President Lungu, the Chinese and Zambian governments for their support and helps to CNMC and Chinese enterprises in Zambia, and briefly introduced the basic situation of the investment and development in Zambia. Wang said that the Zambia-China Business Forum was an extremely important forum held in the new era of comprehensive strategic cooperation between China and Africa, the new period when the construction of shared future between China and Africa is moving towards a higher level, and the new stage of upgrading the quality of CNMC's strategy for central and southern Africa. As one of the organizers of the Forum, CNMC knew deep down inside that its mission is glorious and its responsibility is weighty. He noted that since the establishment of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum 18 years ago, China-Zambia economic and trade cooperation has been greatly developed, the investment cooperation of CNMC in Zambia has also reached a new level, and a number of key enterprises and projects have stood out. In accordance with the important consensus reached between President Xi Jinping and President Lungu, CNMC will implement the spirit of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Forum, further improve its resource development and cooperation in Zambia as required by SASAC, promote mutually beneficial win-win and pragmatic cooperation between China and Zambia, and make new contributions to Zambia's economic and social development. CNMC is willing to serve as a bridge for China-Zambia friendship and promote more Chinese enterprises to enter Zambia for making investments and doing business in Zambia-China Economic & Trade Cooperation Zone.

​
President Lungu Delivering Keynote Speech

Minister of the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Zambia, Yaluma, Zambian ambassador to China, Chibesakunda, Vice Director of Foreign Affairs Committee of National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Li Baodong, Vice President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Linyi, Chinese Ambassador to Zambia, Li Jie and other guests attended the Forum and delivered speech, emphasizing that China and Zambia and the two peoples share all-weather friendship and are all-round partners. In particular, the important consensus reached by President Xi Jinping and President Lungu will further strengthen the confidence and determination of China and Zambia to achieve high-level mutually beneficial cooperation. All of them highly affirmed CNMC's strategic mind, overall consciousness and practical works in Zambia in their speeches, and said they would continue to pay attention to supporting CNMC's investment and development in Zambia in order to actively guide more Chinese enterprises to make investments and do business in Zambia, accelerating the consolidation and development of China-Zambia relation and jointly promoting China-Zambia friendship to demonstrate greater vitality in the new historical period.

Under the joint witness of President Lungu and Chinese and Zambian guests, CNMC signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Zambian government, Zambia-China Economic & Trade Cooperation Zone invested and established by CNMC signed cooperation agreements with 8 newly established enterprises, and Zambian government signed cooperation agreements with some Chinese and foreign enterprises. The total contract amount of cooperation projects reached at the Forum is about USD 1.47 billion.

During the event, the Zambia Development Agency and Zambia-China Economic & Trade Cooperation Zone introduced the investment promotion separately. There are interactive question and answer section, as well as interaction for enterprises during the forum, and the scene is inundated with “Zambia-China Cooperation and Mutual Development “atmosphere.

President Lungu had a friendly communication with Director Xiao Yaqing, Chairman Wang Tongzhou and other Chinese government and enterprise delegates. He said the unbreakable and all-weather friendship between Zambia and China was established by leaders of elder generation and needs to be consolidated and deepened through cooperation between enterprises in Zambia and China. The Chinese enterprise that is represented by CNMC made the Zambia government and people feel the strong vitality of friendship between Zambia and China in the new period. President Lungu expected to work together to build the community of common destiny by both countries.
​
The Minister of Presidential Affairs of Zambia - Mr. Freedom Sikazwe, the Minister of National Development and Planning Department – Mr. Alexander Chiteme, the Minister of Mining and Mineral Development Department– Mr. Richard Musulwa, the Minister of Transport Department – Mr. Brian Mushimba, the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Development – Mr. Ronald Chitotela, the Governor of Muchinga Province – Mr. Malozo Sichone, the Vice Chairman of All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce – Mr. Wang Yongqing, the Chairman of China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association – Mr. Chen QuanXun, the leaders of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Commerce and other relevant ministries, Financial Institution, the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and other associations, as well as leaders of 16 central enterprises like CSIC, CNGC, Dongfang Electric, China Machinery Corporation, CHALCO, China Minmetals Group, China State Construction, China Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Group, China National Building Materials Groups Corporation, Power China, China Gold Group, the delegates from enterprises of both countries, and nearly 20 news media from both countries, more than 200 people in total, attended the forum.

 

CNMC is a large-scale central enterprise under SASAC and also the earliest and most successful enterprise for international cooperation of China’s nonferrous metal industry. Its business spreads over 80 countries and regions, including more than 30 countries and regions along “the Belt and Road”. Zambia is one of the most important investment destinations of CNMC. Impelled by the all-weather friendship between China and Zambia, CNMC has gradually grown into the largest Chinese enterprise in Zambia and a model enterprise of friendly cooperation in economy and trade between China and Zambia. So far, CNMC has been operating in Zambia for 20 years, with an accumulative investment of nearly USD 3 billion. It has owned 14 enterprises with different levels of investment and constructed 3 mines, 3 smelting plants and 1 overseas economic and trade cooperation zone, creating more than 12000 stable jobs for Zambia. Also, CNMC has made various kinds of donations totaling more than USD 30 million, hence referred to as the “the Best Interpreter of All-weather Friendship between China and Zambia”. Among the investment projects in Zambia, Zambia-China Economic & Trade Cooperation Zone is most representative, because it is the first overseas economic and trade cooperation zone established by China in Africa and the first multifunction economic zone in Zambia. With the support of President Lungu and both governments, the zone has attracted more than 50 enterprises with a total investment of nearly USD 1.9 billion. The accumulative sales created by the enterprises in the zone have reached more than USD 14 billion. Besides, about 8,000 jobs have been created for local people. The project has opened up a new model of friendly cooperation between China and Zambia.

 

By Wang Changming / World Wide Web / 09:20, September 3, 2018