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‘Say no to China’: Anger mounts in Zambia over Beijing’s presence
LUSAKA, Sept 23, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – “China equals Hitler” said the sign held
up in the Zambian capital Lusaka by a protester opposed to Beijing’s
tightening grip on the economy of the southern African nation.
The demonstrator, James Lukuku, who leads a small political party, was
picked up by police and spent several hours in a cell reflecting on his one-
man protest.
But he is not alone in opposing China’s growing presence in President
Edgar Lungu’s Zambia and in particular its major programme of loans to
Lusaka.
In fact his criticism echoes concerns shared by many across swathes of
Africa and beyond, where some fear that China’s mega-projects risk leaving
already fragile economies in even worse shape.
“I want to bring to the attention of the international community the
Chinese influence and corruption in Zambia,” said Lukuku who wore a white T-
shirt emblazoned with the slogan #sayno2China.
China is the main investor in Zambia as it is in several other African
countries and with its offers of “unconditional” aid, most public tenders are
awarded to Chinese bidders.
In Lusaka and across the country, China is busy constructing airports,
roads, factories and police stations with the building boom largely funded by
Chinese loans.
– ‘These criminal debts’ –
“China is about to take everything from Zambia. They have taken over our
economy through these criminal debts. This government is contracting debts
from China even without parliamentary approval,” said Lukuku.
Zambian public debt is officially around $10.6 billion but suspicions have
grown in recent months that the government is hiding its indebtedness — as
happened in neighbouring Mozambique, which in 2016 was forced to admit it had
kept secret $2 billion of borrowing.
Fearing that Zambia might be in a similar position, the International
Monetary Fund at one point delayed talks over a $1.3 billion loan deal.
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The slump in the price of copper, Zambia’s leading export, has led to
fears that Lusaka might even struggle to service its existing debt.
Lukuku and his supporters believe that the state is on the verge of
handing control of the Zesco national electricity company, Lusaka airport and
the ZNBC state broadcaster to China.
Stung by the criticism that he was selling out to China, Lungu has hit
back at critics.
“I implore you to ignore the misleading headlines that seek to malign our
relationship with China by mischaracterising our economic cooperation to mean
colonialism,” Lungu told lawmakers recently.
– ‘The dominance of Chinese’ –
Finance Minister Margaret Mwanakatwe has also come out to insist that, in
the first half of 2018, $342 million was paid in interest to creditors, of
which 53 percent were commercial sector — and only 30 percent of which were
Chinese.
But the country’s main opposition party has put China’s debt dominance at
the forefront of its campaign to unseat the government.
Opposition figure Stephen Katuka warned against the “rate Zambia is
entertaining Chinese nationals which are displacing Zambians through big
financial offers”.
Katuka, who is the secretary general of the United Party for National
Development, described the replacement of Zambian workers with Chinese
labourers — as is customary on Chinese-run projects — as “a time bomb”.
“If this situation is allowed to degenerate, it may lead to aggression on
foreign nationals,” he added.
There have been several high profile incidents of Chinese managers
allegedly mistreating their Zambian workers.
“In some instances the Chinese are beating Zambians in places of work for
simply failing to follow instructions,” said Katuka.
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Typically reclusive, China’s ambassador to Lusaka Lie Jie was drawn into
the growing furore to defend Beijing’s intentions.
“I feel strange when I hear we want to colonise Africa,” he told
journalists recently, categorically denying that China was seeking to buy
Zambia’s publicly-owned companies.
Economist and head of Zambia’s Private Sector Development Association
Yosuf Dodia told AFP that Chinese investment should be seen as an opportunity
not a burden.
“Zambia has been dominated by the West for 100 years… and we are seeing
poverty all over the continent,” he said.
“The partnership level is around $10 billion — and that is good. There is
no other country that offers those kinds of opportunities.”
The benefit of such vast investment is not always felt on the ground,
however.
“I am not happy with the dominance of Chinese contractors. In the first
place, the money that they get from these contracts is externalised and all
that they return here are meagre wages,” said Edgar Syakachoma, himself a
contractor.
“Let the government also give us the contracts so that they benefit
Zambians.”
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