Chinese PM makes landmark visit to copper-rich Zambia

Chinese Premier Li Qiang attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia November 18, 2025.

Photo credit: Reuters

Zambia will host a Chinese premier on Wednesday for the first time in 28 years as the sub-Saharan state emerges from a financial crisis, with Beijing eager to access commodities and develop a bigger market for its exporters.

China is Zambia's largest official creditor, owed $5.7 billion and keen to highlight countries that are model members of President Xi Jinping's flagship Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.