Zambia has intensified its economic partnership with China through the launch of new trade and investment platforms designed to attract investors from across the Greater Bay Area and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) region. The move signifies a broader strategic reorientation of Lusaka’s international economic relations, placing the southern African nation at the centre of evolving global trade dynamics.
The Zambian Ambassador to China, Ivan Zyuulu, presided over the inauguration of the China–SCO Economic and Trade Exchange Centre and the Guangdong and Macao Development Platform in Guangzhou. These initiatives stem from a cooperation agreement signed in October 2025 between the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) and the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Development Committee under the China–SCO Economic and Trade Exchange Centre.
The establishment of the Guangzhou-based centre follows commitments made during the 2025 SCO Heads of State Summit in Tianjin, where Zambia outlined its intention to strengthen investment cooperation with Asia’s emerging trade blocs. The centres will act as hubs for promoting Zambian investment opportunities and facilitating partnerships in strategic sectors, including infrastructure, industrialisation, and value addition in mineral processing.
Speaking at the launch, Wang Rui Cai, Director of the China–SCO Economic and Trade Exchange Centre, pledged institutional support for Zambia’s initiatives. This includes providing professional services, logistical assistance, and office space to lower entry barriers for Chinese and SCO-region firms seeking to operate in Zambia.
On the sidelines of the event, Ambassador Zyuulu held discussions with Ma Wenfeng, Director General of the Foreign Affairs Office of Guangdong Province. The meeting reaffirmed Zambia’s commitment to deepening its engagement with Guangdong’s industrial and investment ecosystem. Both officials expressed a mutual interest in enhancing collaboration on trade, infrastructure, and people-to-people exchanges.
These developments occur at a pivotal moment for Zambia’s economy. The country, Africa’s second-largest copper producer, has recently adopted the Chinese yuan for the payment of mining taxes and royalties by Chinese-owned firms operating within its borders. This policy shift makes Zambia the first African nation to officially accept the yuan for such transactions. Government officials view this as a pragmatic step towards reducing reliance on the US dollar and stabilising the local currency, the kwacha, amid global currency fluctuations.
The yuan-based approach is also interpreted as part of a broader continental trend towards financial diversification and economic sovereignty, reflecting African governments’ growing interest in pursuing multipolar trade and monetary strategies. By aligning with China and the SCO bloc, Zambia seeks to diversify its sources of foreign investment while maintaining a pragmatic balance with Western partners.
While observers note that the deepening of Zambia–China relations is consistent with Beijing’s increasing economic engagement across Africa, Zambian policymakers emphasise that the partnership is grounded in mutual benefit and respect for sovereignty. Analysts suggest that Zambia’s approach may serve as a model for other African nations seeking to assert greater agency within international trade structures.
The Zambia–China partnership thus represents more than a bilateral economic accord. It symbolises a shifting paradigm in African international relations, where countries are increasingly positioning themselves as active architects of global economic realignment rather than passive recipients of external influence.
