LUSAKA: Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Thursday that China is willing to work with Zambia and Tanzania to advance the development of a prosperity belt along the TAZARA Railway and jointly foster a new economic growth hub.
He made the remarks in Zambia’s capital, Lusaka, while attending the groundbreaking ceremony of the TAZARA revitalization project, alongside Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema and Tanzanian Vice President Emmanuel Nchimbi.
Li noted that in September 2024, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, and President Hichilema jointly witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the TAZARA revitalization project in Beijing.
Over the past year, relevant departments and enterprises from the three countries have worked together, making significant progress and paving the way for the project’s formal commencement, Li said.
The railway, Li emphasized, serves as a bond that closely ties the peoples of China, Tanzania and Zambia. He praised the TAZARA spirit as a precious legacy forged through dedication and hard work – one that should be cherished and safeguarded.
Today, China-Africa cooperation has embarked on a new journey toward the shared dream of modernization, Li said, describing the railway as a landmark project of China-Africa cooperation.
China is ready to work with Zambia and Tanzania to ensure that this railway, filled with hope, shines with renewed splendor in the new era, injecting greater vitality into the development of Tanzania, Zambia and even the entire African continent, he added.
Li highlighted that the three governments will provide necessary support for the railway’s revitalization and urged the parties to adhere to high-quality, high-standard construction. He stressed the importance of making the project a safe, efficient and reliable landmark that sets an example for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.
China will also support the implementation of more “small and beautiful” projects in areas such as healthcare, poverty alleviation and agricultural development along the railway, aiming to improve local livelihoods, he said.
He called on the three countries to use the revitalization of the railway as an opportunity to advance “hard connectivity” in infrastructure such as railways, highways and ports, while strengthening “soft connectivity” in fields like customs, commodity inspection and taxation.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang speaks at the ground-breaking ceremony of the TAZARA revitalization project in Lusaka, Zambia, on November 20, 2025. /Xinhua
Li said that China is willing to continuously enhance trade and investment facilitation with Zambia and Tanzania, promote the integration and alignment of markets and industries among the three countries, as well as between China and Africa, to create greater synergy for development.
Looking ahead, Li noted that China-Africa cooperation holds broad prospects. China is ready to work with Zambia, Tanzania and other African countries to further carry forward the TAZARA spirit, implement the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), and deepen and solidify the all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.
For their part, Hichilema and Nchimbi said that the railway stands as a monument to the friendship forged by previous generations of leaders from the three countries and as a symbol of their peoples’ pursuit of independence, self-reliance, solidarity and mutual support.
Revitalizing the railway embodies the shared future of the three nations and their joint efforts to build a better tomorrow, they said. They added that the railway will become a vivid example of how the Chinese and African peoples carry forward their friendship and work together for revitalization.
Zambia and Tanzania are ready to work closely with China to actively implement the outcomes of the FOCAC Beijing Summit, make the revitalization project a flagship for jointly advancing modernization, promote regional connectivity, and drive industrial upgrading, green transition and economic development in the countries along the line, ultimately improving people’s well-being and writing a new chapter in building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.
Li held friendly exchanges with Nchimbi during the event.
The governments of China, Tanzania and Zambia issued a joint statement on building the TAZARA Railway prosperity belt.
