Li Qiang attends the groundbreaking ceremony of the activation project of the Tanzania Zambia Railway

 Xinhua News Agency, Lusaka, November 20 (Reporters Liu Chang and Peng Lijun) On November 20 local time, Premier Li Qiang of the State Council attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the reactivation project of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway jointly with President Hichilema of Zambia and Vice President Ncimbi of Tanzania in Lusaka.

 Over the past year, relevant departments and enterprises in China, Tanzania, and Zambia have worked together and taken active actions to promote significant progress in the project, which has officially started construction. The Tanzania Zambia Railway is like a bond that tightly connects the hearts of the people of China, Tanzania, and Zambia. The spirit of the Tanzan Railway is a precious asset that embodies hard work and sweat, and requires us to cherish and protect it together. The current China Africa cooperation has embarked on a new journey of pursuing the dream of modernization together. The Tanzania Zambia Railway is a landmark project of China Africa cooperation. China is willing to work together with Zambia and Tanzania to make this railway full of hope shine in the new era, injecting more momentum into the development of Tanzania, Zambia and even the entire Africa.

  Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Yao Dawei

Li Qiang pointed out that the Chinese government will work with the governments of Tanzania and Zambia to provide necessary support and guarantees for railway activation. It is hoped that China, Tanzania and Zambia will adhere to high quality and high standards to promote construction, build the project into a high-quality, efficient, safe and reliable boutique project, and set a benchmark for high-quality joint construction of the "the Belt and Road". China is willing to assist Zambia and Tanzania in promoting the construction of the Tanzania Zambia Railway Prosperity Belt, and work together to create a new economic growth hub. At the same time, we will cooperate along the line to implement more "small but beautiful" projects such as medical and health care, poverty reduction and agricultural benefits, and better promote the improvement of people's livelihoods. China is also willing to work with Zambia and Tanzania to promote the "hard connectivity" of railway, highway, port and other infrastructure, strengthen the "soft connectivity" of customs, inspection, taxation and other fields, continuously improve the level of trade and investment facilitation, promote market and industrial integration and docking between China, Tanzania and Zambia, and between China and Africa, and gather greater development forces. Looking ahead, the prospects for China Africa cooperation are vast. China is willing to work with Zambia, Tanzania and other African countries to further carry forward the spirit of the Tazara railway, implement the outcomes of the Beijing summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation, and promote the building of an all-weather China Africa community of common destiny in the new era.

Xichilaima and Enqinbi stated that the Tanzania Zambia Railway is a monument of friendship created by the older generation of leaders of the three countries, and also a symbol of independence, self-improvement, unity, and mutual assistance among the people of the three countries. Revitalizing the Tanzania Zambia Railway is a symbol of the shared destiny and future of the three countries, and will become a vivid practice for the Chinese and African people to inherit friendship and work together for revitalization. Zambia and Tanzania are willing to work with China to actively implement the outcomes of the Beijing summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation, build the railway activation project into a high-quality project to jointly promote modernization, promote regional connectivity, promote industrial upgrading, green transformation and economic development of countries along the line, serve the people's well-being, and write a new chapter of building an all-weather China Africa community of common destiny in the new era.

During the event, Li Qiang had friendly exchanges with the Vice President of Tanzania, Enkhbi.

The governments of China, Tanzania, and Zambia jointly issued a joint statement on jointly building a prosperous railway belt in Tanzania and Zambia.