Chinese not after Zambians' jobs, assures Hucheng

Chinese not after Zambians' jobs, assures Hucheng
By Correspondent
Thursday February 28, 2008 [03:00]

VISITING Chinese vice minister of commerce Gao Hucheng has said that Chinese technicians and engineers are not in the country to grab jobs from Zambians. And Copperbelt minister Mwansa Mbulakulima has called for effective dialogue between Zambians and Chinese investors to iron out various perceived differences between them.

Speaking when he visited the construction site of the Chambishi Copper Smelter on Tuesday afternoon, Hucheng said that more technical staff was brought into Zambia from China to help speed up the project and not to get jobs from Zambians.

Hucheng said once the project was completed, all the Chinese technical staff would return to China and all the jobs would be left to Zambians. He also expressed happiness that the Zambian government had been supportive of the Chinese investment in the country.

“I am happy that the project is moving at a good speed. I must appeal to the minister to explain to the people that Chinese technical staff who have come here have not come to get jobs from Zambians, but to help speed up the project and this can be evidenced by the fast rate the project has been moving at,” he said.

And Mbulakulima said there was need to meet from time to time to discuss various problems that Zambians and Chinese might be facing in their operations.

He said China had been Zambia’s all weather-friend and it was important that the relationship was further strengthened through effective dialogue.

He said the proposed economic zone in Chambishi was a multiplier project and needed to be supported by all patriotic Zambians that wanted to see development in the country.