STORY: Zambian president hails FOCAC as key platform for China-Africa partnerships
SHOOTING TIME: May 15, 2024
DATELINE: May 18, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:26
LOCATION: Lusaka
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1.various of the Zambian president being guided on a photo exhibition tour during the China-Zambia High-Quality Development Forum.
2.SOUNDBITE 1 (English): HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, Zambian President
3. various of the tour

STORYLINE:

The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) is an important platform for building strong partnerships between China and African countries, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has said.

In a globalized world, it is important for African countries to understand that platforms such as the FOCAC are important as they bring the much-needed investment for economic growth and improving the livelihoods of ordinary Zambians, Hichilema told Xinhua on Wednesday.

"By deriving investments of FOCAC, and our own like this one, these investments create job opportunities for our people and contribute to economic development which brings about markets for various goods and services," he said.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, Zambian President
"By deriving investments out of the FOCAC platform, and our own like this one (China-Zambia High-Quality Development Forum), and the previous China Zambia economic forum we had right here, these little investments that creat job opportunities for our people but also contribute to economic development which brings about markets for various goods and services, again more people employed in those service providers, but more importantly also to open markets in China, a big economy of our own goods, to be able to sell into China and China obviously doing business the other way. It is very important in today's global village; we need to know that partnership of this nature FOCAC are important to the livelihoods of ordinary citizens in Zambia, in another country and in China."

A new FOCAC meeting will be held in autumn in Beijing where Chinese and African leaders will discuss future development and cooperation and hold in-depth exchanges of governance experience.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Lusaka.
(XHTV)