By NANCY MWAPE and ANNIE CHIBOMBA
FOUR Chinese companies have signed agreements with some Zambian mining companies to purchase minerals.
China Minmetals Non-Ferrous Metals Company Limited signed with two mining companies, Konkola Copper Mine Plc (KCM) and Non-Ferrous Chambishi African mine while China Chengtong Metals Group Company signed with Meo Sheng Minerals Resources Zambia limited.
Other companies include China International Intellectual Corporation that signed KCM and Genertce International Corporation of China with Number Nine Company Limited.
The signing ceremony took place at the buyers/sellers forum held at Lusaka’s Intercontinental hotel on Monday.
And speaking at the same occasion, Zambia-China Business Association chairman, Sebastian Kopulande said there was need to identify strategic partnerships that would promote transfer of technology and productive skills to access the zero tariff market access on value added products offered by China.
Mr Kopulande said though investment policies and laws do not dictate partnership between foreign and local investors, Zambians were looking for ventures that would benefit them through job creation, level of ownership and management control.
He said China enjoyed trade surplus from the world’s three leading economic centres on the global market, among others.
Mr Kopulande cited the United States of America, European Union and Japan were some of the lucrative markets for China adding that USA stands as one of the largest investor nation todate.
“If Chinese goods are inferior as some people are trying to make us believe, why buy them when you have the capacity to make your own with better quality? If China is such a bad country in terms of the so-called governance and human rights indicators, why go and invest there?”
“Politics aside, China is certainly leading the way and everyone is a beneficiary as it has contributed an average of 14 per cent to growth of the world economy since 1979, when it started the policy of reforms and opening up,’’ he said.
And Commerce, Trade and Industry, minister, Felix Mutati said the challenge for Zambian entrepreneurs was to get organised and penetrate the Chinese market through offering quality products.
Mr Mutati said his ministry would meet with the Zambia-China Association to draw up a framework on how to trade with that country.
Moreover, visiting, Chinese Vice-Minister of Commerce, Gao Hucheng said historically China and Africa have supported each other.
Mr Hucheng said Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit to Africa last year has opened a new charter of relationship between China and Africa.
He noted that Zambia was among the five countries in Africa where China was developing a multi-facility economic zone.
Zambia Daily Mail
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