Lusaka - Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived Saturday in
Zambia to discuss with his Zambian counterpart Levy Mwanawas the
country's share of the 3 billion dollars in aid China is to provide
to Africa.
Hu, arriving from the Sudan as part of his eight-nation tour of
Africa, is on a three-day state visit to Zambia to cement Sino-Zambia
economic and trade relations. On arrival the Chinese leader described
Zambia as an important country in southern Africa.
'Under the leadership of President Mwanawasa, the Zambian people
have, in recent years, made impressive achievements in economic
revitalization and national development, and played an active role in
African and international affairs,' Hu said according to the
statement reported by China's official Xinhua agency.
Hu and Mwanawasa were expected to sign several accords regarding
the implementation of the agreement at the China/Africa Beijing Forum
summit in November that China would give 3 billion dollars in aid to
Africa.
China has promised to build an ultra modern stadium in Ndola,
Zambia's second largest city, for teams at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in
South Africa to practice in.
Ahead of Hu's visit, Zambian officials had put tight security
conditions into place, with media to be drastically reduced and rules
in which journalists were not to be allowed to ask any questions of
Hu. Observers saw the restrictions as a result of pressure exerted by
Chinese officials anxious to ward off questions about human rights.
Zambia is the fourth stop on Hu's tour of Africa, having
previously visited Cameroon, Liberia and Sudan. He is then scheduled
to proceed to Namibia, South Africa, Mozambique and Seychelles.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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