China paints picture of African partnership with gleaming public works
- Gifts of Chinese-built symbols of state from presidential palaces to sports stadiums are springing up across the continent
- Observers say Beijing’s aim is to cement China’s role in Africa as an enduring partner and a major player in its development
A conference centre built and paid for by China is nearing completion in the Zambian capital Lusaka.
The China Jiangsu International Economic and Technical Cooperation Group started work on the 4,000-capacity centre in 2020 and the project is 85 per cent complete, Zambia’s government clerk of works Tadalisika Zulu told the national broadcaster.
The buildings are springing up across the continent as part of Beijing’s “portrait diplomacy” – painting a picture of China as an enduring partner.
Zambia is a key Chinese ally – it was the first on the continent to attract Chinese funding, in the 1970s for the Tanzania-Zambia railway – and Chinese companies have vast investments in the country’s mining industry.
China remains Zambia’s largest bilateral lender and trading partner but lately Lusaka has fallen behind in its debt repayments. Last year, Zambia became the first African country to default on some of its loans in the Covid-19 era.