Saturday, November 9, 2024

President Hichilema must engage China on a high diplomatic level-Mukwita

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Ambassador Anthony Mukwita has advised the government of President Hakainde Hichilema to engage China as a matter of urgency and explain the diplomatic hic hup recently caused by the United States senate committee for international relations that claimed that Zambia will now only deal with America and not China.

Ambassador Mukwita made the call on a live television interview with the widely followed Diamond TV available on DSTV and Facebook hosted by Andrew Mwansa where he also called on the government to categorically state where they stand on ´Zambia, China and the United States relations.´

“We saw a twit by a ranking member of the US senator Mr Jim Risch stating as a fact that he had discussions with our President Mr Hakainde Hichilema regarding China and that Zambia will now deal with the United States and not China which was undiplomatic in the absence of a statement from Zambia,” Ambassador Mukwita said, “in the absence of a clarification from the President’s office, right thinking Zambians and China are at sea. We need an explanation, has Zambia abandoned China for Uncle Sam or not? No one is talking.”

Mr Mukwita, the former Ambassador of Zambia to the Federal Republic of Germany, published author and academician expressed concern that Zambia was getting entangled in a ´Thucydides Trap´ of a geopolitical war between China and the United States where Zambia would never win.

He gave an example of the stupendous amount of money the United States is spending supporting the war between Ukraine and Russia raging for ten months now where the United States has burnt US$19 billion already for Ukraine alone when Zambia has a US$15 billion foreign debt.

On the same programme, the Ambassador who is also an award-winning World Bank Investigative Journalism award winner said the only time Zambia will cease being foreign powers in geopolitics is when it becomes economically independent.

“It is sad that with all our copper and cobalt and arable land we still remain power and sway to the whims of foreign powers,” Ambassador Mukwita said.
He has written another book on the rise of China in Africa which is expected o be o the shelves and Amazon in January 2023, giving a critical look at Zambia´s relations with China and the United States as it relates to ordinary Zambians.

Ambassador Mukwita also expressed concern that it took President Hichilema about ten months to engage China, Zambia´s single largest creditor (Zambia owes China US$6 billion) while he openly shook hands with the west.

23 COMMENTS

  1. few days ago we herd that its a matter of preference who you deal with china or america and from the look of things zambia has taken the american way

  2. Absolute nonsense !!! this what the President was talking about the other day…. PF cadres claim they were very close to China but failed to pay debts to their friends… what sort of friendship is that??? the bottom line is that the debt burden is strangling Zambia just like KCM and Mopani are frustrating the New Dawn’s economic agenda…….WHO ran up the debt and who put KCM in liquidation ???? who messed up Mopani ??? PF !!! It would be best for these PF cadres to just shut up- period !!

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  3. Comrade you are wasting your wisdom and energy advising pompous arrogant f00Iish HH. He won’t listen to anyone

    I am at my Lusaka west farm for Xmas. Family is here. Drink of choice is 40 year whisky. I have opened the second bottle. Thank you to comrade gbm for the two bottles. Life is good

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  4. In Zambia, everybody wants to be an expert and comment on things they least understand. There is no diplomatic up row between Zambia and China to warrant any further engagement arising from a tweet from a third party, especially that the tweet was not from Zambia, and neither was it a joint statement between Zambia and China

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  5. Well spoken and a great use of wisdom and guidance. President HH should bring you on board to help because you are Zambian

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    • Really laughable …back then they were stealing taxpayers funds buying the books and distributing them free to cadres to dupe Lazy Lungu that he was popular!!

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  6. Mischief maker talking nonsense as usual
    The president was very clear when he was asked the question in his wide ranging interview on Tuesday. (HH was brilliant by the way)
    I don’t think this man listened to it or he is just plan ignorant and lacks understanding.

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  7. This boy Mukwita I remember this moron in Germany wooing investors by telling them to invest in Zambia recieve a tax parachute for 5 years and then after 5 year just change the name and re-register the same company and repeat the whole process. This was a Zambian diplomat encouraging tax avoidance to a group of investors….

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    • Tarino being a Karen as usual………

      Do you ever stop complaining ?

      Man, you must lead a sad life…….

      That’s why you are always in a target for KZ……..you wake up complaining on LT , sleep complaining on LT ??

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  8. We say take the Americans money as well……….if they want to help zambia, they are welcome………..

    Again the president is right to wane zambia off china’s unfair one sided so called development borrowing………..

    The Chinese know of zambias deep appreciation and reliance on them, they are not dumb, …………

    they also know too well the president will pay a high level visit when zambia is in a better position to negotiate trade………….

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    • TO

      I am firm supporter of this GRZ……..

      Most of what the president does and says is in total agreement with me , with the view that they are still a young GRZ and a few mistakes can be mad…..

      As for you……..you don’t know whether you are comming or going with your constant complaints about everything if you are not talking rubbish…….

      It is your constant rubbish and moaning that draws fire from KZ and others………..you always seem to be other peoples business.

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  9. This man needs to be reminded that Zambia is an independent sovereign country and not beholden to anyone.
    It is their prerogative to decide how they deal with other countries whether it be China or America,
    It is not like in the days of Lungu when China use to dictate to us.
    I will always remember the video put out by Wode Maya, “Chinese Calls Zambian A Foreigner In Zambia”, they thought they owned Zambia, That is not happening anymore.
    The Chinese did not come to Zambia or Africa to necessarily help us but primarily to help themselves and treat us as subhumans.
    HH is a proud Zambian and African

  10. This is the beauty of democracy.
    A lesson to all politicians.
    Politics at times is like a big whore as such has no permanent friends because it all depends on want you can get at that particular time.
    I tell you politics is just that and better use it to your advantage.

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