Chinese Premier Li Qiang is visiting Zambia for two days to oversee the $1.4 billion refurbishment of the Tazara railway, a Cold War-era line that connects Zambia’s copper mines to Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam port. The project will be executed by the state-owned China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation and aims to improve China’s access to critical minerals essential for electronics, renewable energy, and defense technologies. Li will meet Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema to sign documents initiating the upgrade, highlighting China’s dominant role in African mining. The railway’s revival also reflects strategic competition with the US, which is backing a rival Atlantic route from Zambia through Angola. Li’s visit precedes his presence at the G20 summit in South Africa, which the US plans to boycott.
AP
