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China Holds Friendship Media Awards in Zambia

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On December 12, 2017, the Chinese Embassy in Zambia held the first “China-Zambia Friendship Media Awards” (中贊友好媒體表彰會) in Lusaka, attended by Ambassador Yang Youming (楊優明), Minister of Information and Media Kampamba Mulunga, and approximately 150 representatives. The event recognized ten individuals and nine organizations with awards for “Media Excellence,” aimed at honoring those who promote mutual understanding through “active and objective reporting” (積極客觀報道) on the “China-Zambia traditional friendship” (中贊傳統友誼). In Communist Party discourse, “friendship” (友好) carries explicit political expectations of alignment with China’s positions, often fostered through institutional proxies to project unity while conditioning relationships on the accommodation of China’s core interests. Ambassador Yang encouraged journalists to capture China’s “ever-changing development” and provide “positive energy” (正能量) for bilateral relations, a term that directly references domestic news control policies requiring the press to support the Party’s image and stability. The embassy published the official report on December 13, 2017.

Ministry of Technology and Science Zambia

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The Ministry of Technology and Science (贊比亞科技部) is the Zambian government ministry responsible for formulating and implementing policies on technology, science, communications, and skills development. According to its official mandate, the ministry coordinates research to promote investment in science and technology, promotes advancement of knowledge and skills, and conducts science, technology, and innovation impact assessments, with the stated aim of accelerating Zambia’s transformation into a digital economy. It collaborates with industry and the private sector in developing relevant innovations and enforces standards, regulations, and licensing in its portfolio areas. The ministry was established in 2021 as part of the reorganization of government portfolios under President Hakainde Hichilema. It has been an active partner in Zambia’s AI governance engagement with China, including co-hosting the High-Level Meeting on International Cooperation on Capacity-Building of Artificial Intelligence (人工智能能力建設國際合作高級別會議) at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2024, at which Zambia was represented by the minister.

Ministry of Finance and National Planning

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The Ministry of Finance and National Planning (贊比亞財政和國家計劃部) is the Zambian government ministry responsible for the preparation of the national budget, economic management, resource mobilization, debt management, and public finance management. Its mandate is derived from the Minister of Finance (Incorporation) Act of the Laws of Zambia, originally enacted in 1958. The ministry is also responsible for national visioning, national development planning, appraisal of public investments, and coordination of development assistance programs.

National Economic Council

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The National Economic Council (Dewan Ekonomi Nasional), or DEN, is an Indonesian presidential advisory body mandated to provide strategic recommendations to the President on the formulation and implementation of national economic policy. The council was originally established on November 30, 1999 under President Abdurrahman Wahid but was disbanded within a year. It was re-established on October 20, 2024 by President Prabowo Subianto with institutional status equivalent to a ministry. According to the council’s official profile, its functions include providing strategic advice to the President on alignment of economic policies with national priorities, recommending measures for effective implementation of priority programs.

Government of Indonesia

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The Government of the Republic of Indonesia (Pemerintah Republik Indonesia) is the sovereign government of Indonesia, the world’s largest archipelagic state, declared independent on August 17, 1945. Indonesia operates as a unitary republic under the Constitution of 1945, as amended through 2002, with executive authority vested in a directly elected president serving a maximum of two five-year terms. The legislative branch comprises a bicameral People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR), consisting of the House of Representatives (DPR) and the Regional Representative Council (DPD). Press freedom and civil society organizations have faced increasing restrictions under successive administrations, with analysts warning of an accelerating erosion of democratic norms since 2024.

Government of Zambia

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The Government of the Republic of Zambia (贊比亞共和國政府) is the sovereign government of Zambia, a landlocked republic in southern Africa that gained independence from British colonial rule on October 24, 1964. According to the Commonwealth Local Government Forum, Zambia is a democratic republic with a unicameral parliament known as the National Assembly, with executive authority vested in a directly elected president serving a maximum of two five-year terms. In its 2024 country report, Human Rights Watch documented a pattern of increasing authoritarianism ahead of national elections scheduled for 2026, including restrictions on political opposition, interference with judicial independence, and public statements by the president that raised concerns about the government’s commitment to holding elections on schedule.

Chinese Ambassador Publishes Op-Ed on Global Security Initiative in Three Zambian Outlets

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On March 9, 2023, Du Xiaohui (杜曉暉), China’s ambassador to Zambia, published a signed op-ed titled “The Global Security Initiative: China’s Contribution to World Peace and Security” (全球安全倡議：為世界和平安全貢獻中國方案) in three Zambian outlets: the Zambia Daily Mail, the Daily Nation, and The Mast. The article promoted the Global Security Initiative (全球安全倡議), a framework proposed by Xi Jinping in April 2022 and elaborated in a concept document released by Foreign Minister Qin Gang (秦剛) on February 21, 2023. The piece presented the initiative’s “six adherences” (六個堅持) — including respect for sovereignty, adherence to the UN Charter, and resolution of disputes through dialogue — as an alternative to what it characterized as Western hegemony, Cold War thinking, and bloc confrontation. The article devoted particular attention to Africa, arguing that the initiative specifically addressed African security challenges, including support for the African Union’s role in conflict resolution and counterterrorism, and promotion of China’s Initiative on Peaceful Development in the Horn of Africa (非洲之角和平發展構想). It framed China and Zambia as sharing a “community of shared destiny” (休戚與共的命運共同體), a formulation that in CCP discourse signals expectations of political alignment, particularly on sovereignty-related questions where China’s positions diverge from Western-led norms.

Chinese Ambassador Visits Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation

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On March 28, 2023, Du Xiaohui (杜曉暉), China’s ambassador to Zambia, visited the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) in Lusaka and met with newly appointed Director-General Berry Lwando. According to the Chinese Embassy in Zambia (中華人民共和國駐贊比亞共和國大使館), Du congratulated Lwando on his appointment and said that ZNBC played an important role in promoting understanding and friendship between the peoples of the two countries, and that the embassy wished to deepen cooperation with ZNBC in the areas of capacity building and program resources. Lwando said ZNBC was willing to carry forward the traditional Zambia-China “friendship” and contribute to promoting bilateral relations — a term which, as the Decoding China Dictionary notes, “carries political expectations of alignment with China’s positions” and conditions relationships on accommodating China’s core interests. The visit took place one day after Du had published a signed op-ed in the Daily Nation and The Mast on the theme of democratic governance.

Chinese Embassy in Zambia

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The Chinese Embassy in Zambia (中華人民共和國駐贊比亞共和國大使館) is the official diplomatic mission of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of Zambia, headquartered in Lusaka. China and Zambia established diplomatic relations on October 29, 1964 — five days after Zambia’s independence from British colonial rule — making China one of the first countries to recognize the newly independent state. The embassy oversees the full range of bilateral diplomatic activities between the two countries, including political exchanges, economic and trade cooperation, cultural diplomacy, and consular services for Chinese nationals in Zambia. It has been an active participant in Chinese state media engagement activities in Zambia, including the placement of signed op-eds by the ambassador in Zambian newspapers, official visits to state broadcasters, and coordination of media cooperation agreements. The embassy operates a WeChat account and a Facebook page as part of its public diplomacy activities, and publishes ambassador speeches, activities, and commentary on its official website in both Chinese and English.