Interview: China-proposed partnership actions chart path for China-Africa cooperation -- Zambian president

BEIJING, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- The 10 partnership actions proposed by China have illustrated how Africa and China work together on the path of development, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has said.

The actions focus on cooperation in areas of economic development, investment and trade, education, culture and social issues, people's well-being, food security as well as energy security, Hichilema said in an interview with Chinese media when he was in Beijing for the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held earlier this month.

Africa can help with the world's green revolution, Hichilema said, adding that turning to greener economy and greener energy will make the world much safer and more sustainable.

In this process, more jobs will be created in the African continent and also in China, and its meaning goes beyond the development of Africa and China, he noted.

Regarding bilateral ties, Hichilema said: "Over the years, we've done a lot of things together for mutual benefits, for the people of China (and the) people of Zambia."

On modernization of the Global South, Hichilema said the Global South was generally viewed for years as lagging behind in development, and the traditional approach to driving the development of the Global South was to depend on the Global North.

"The situation has changed," Hichilema said. "It (the Global South) can do more within itself."

A number of countries have advanced technologies and are willing to share, and the resource endorsements are huge in the Global South, he said. "Now, our job is to utilize all the resources more efficiently."

Hichilema has visited China for several times. He shared his observation when visiting Pudong New Area in east China's Shanghai years ago, and said "China is evolving very fast."

Speaking of the TAZARA (Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority) railway, Hichilema called it "a heritage asset."

TAZARA, also known as the "Uhuru Railway" or "Independent Railway," is a 1,860 km single-track railway constructed between 1970 and 1975 as a turnkey project through an interest-free loan from China. Commercial operations of the railway began in July 1976.

On the sidelines of the FOCAC summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Hichilema and Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan jointly witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the revitalization project of the TAZARA railway.

"It's a very, very important mission and milestone we have achieved by signing the revitalization of it as our corridor," Hichilema said.

While looking to the future blueprint, he said: "It opens up Africa in terms of logistics, trade, market access. And so our producers of goods and services can access markets. Producers can access inputs."

"And this is good, not just for Tanzania, China, Zambia, but for the region ... for the world," he added.