Chinese dominance continues in Zambia

The past decade has seen Chinese presence and their enterprises in Zambia multiply, with almost every mega government project funded not coincidentally by Beijing. Airports, hydropower stations, highways and others - such multi billion dollar infrastructure projects have become the new signature of China in Zambia. 

Such contracts, have naturally brought an influx of jobs to the country. With Chinese enterprises saying they have hired as many as 50,000 local employees on their projects.

The Chinese Ambassador Li Jie stated “Chinese corporations in Zambia have become an important driving force for the economic and social development of Zambia and economic and trade exchanges between the two countries.”

This week thirty Zambian workers engaged by Chinese enterprises received awards for their outstanding performance. The Chinese envoy commended the enterprises for awarding the local employees, saying accomplishments of the enterprises in Zambia could not be achieved without the support from the government and society. 

It is good to see Zambian workers being commended for their expertise. However many Zambians remain unconvinced and unimpressed by China’s growing presence in the country. Yesterday it was also announced that Zambia has agreed to start teaching Chinese in all secondary schools starting from 2020. A true reflection of China’s growing dominance and influence in Zambia. 

Referring to the Lusaka Times article on Tuesday, with one commenter posting  “That headline should be “Chinese companies have created 50,000 slaves in Zambia - Chinese envoy.”