New Chinese ambassador presents Letter of Credence to Zambian president

Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema (R, Front) poses for a photo with Chinese Ambassador to Zambia Du Xiaohui at State House in Lusaka, Zambia, on May 12, 2022. Du Xiaohui, the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of Zambia, presented the Letter of Credence to Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema in Lusaka on Thursday. (Xinhua/Martin Mbangweta)

LUSAKA, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Du Xiaohui, the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of Zambia, presented the Letter of Credence to Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema in Lusaka, capital of Zambia on Thursday.

The two sides held long and friendly talks afterward.

Du said that it is a great honor and responsibility to be posted to Zambia.

The China-Zambia all-weather friendship was personally forged by the older generation of leaders of our two countries. Carried forward through generations, it has taken deep root in our peoples' hearts, said Du.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, China and Zambia have always followed the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, accommodated each other's core interests and major concerns, advanced cooperation to the benefit of the people of our two countries, and upheld international fairness and justice and the common interests of developing countries, Du said.

He said China attaches great importance to its relations with Zambia and stands ready to work with Zambia to make good use of the two platforms of Belt and Road Initiative and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation to broaden friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries and bring China-Zambia relations to a higher level.

Hichilema said that Zambia and China enjoy a time-honored friendship with close ties of interests and fruitful cooperation in the fields of economy, culture and security.

He thanked China for its great help in fighting COVID-19 and expressed his willingness to learn from China's development experience and conduct economic cooperation between the two countries.

Hichilema said that there is no limit to Zambia-China cooperation. Zambia will continue to maintain sound relations between the two countries and the two peoples and further consolidate the foundation of friendship.

Attaching great importance to the all-weather friendship between the two countries, the Republic of Zambia arranged a separate presentation ceremony for the Chinese ambassador, which is the first time that President Hichilema graced a separate presentation ceremony for a foreign envoy after taking office.

The ceremony was solemn, warm and friendly. Stanley Kakubo, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and senior diplomats of the Chinese Embassy in Zambia attended the ceremony.

Du arrived in Zambia to assume duty on April 17, 2022.