The Zambian President, Hakainde Hichilema has met his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping in Beijing for bilateral talks as they look to secure a comprehensive strategic partnership.
China has significant stakes in Zambia’s mining sector while the southern African nation seeks to restructure its mounting external debt with its leading creditor.
President Xi said China and Zambia’s friendship had withstood the test of international storms and changes and encouraged more imports from the African country.
Zambia defaulted on its $18.6bn foreign debt in 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 outbreak, becoming the first country on the continent to default on its external debt since the start of the pandemic.
