Lusaka (AFP) - “China equals Hitler” said the sign held up in the Zambian capital Lusaka by a protester opposed to Beijing’s tightening grip on the economy of the southern African nation.The demonstrator, James Lukuku, who leads a small political party, was picked up by police and spent several hours in a cell reflecting on his one-man protest.

But he is not alone in opposing China’s growing presence in President Edgar Lungu’s Zambia and in particular its major programme of loans to Lusaka.

In fact his criticism echoes concerns shared by many across swathes of Africa and beyond, where some fear that China’s mega-projects risk leaving already fragile economies in even worse shape.

“I want to bring to the attention of the international community the Chinese influence and corruption in Zambia,” said Lukuku who wore a white T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan #sayno2China.

China is the main investor in Zambia as it is in several other African countries and with its offers of “unconditional” aid, most public tenders are awarded to Chinese bidders.

In Lusaka and across the country, China is busy constructing airports, roads, factories and police stations with the building boom largely funded by Chinese loans.

- ‘These criminal debts’ -

“China is about to take everything from Zambia. They have taken over our economy through these criminal debts. This government is contracting debts from China even without parliamentary approval,” said Lukuku.

Zambian public debt is officially around $10.6 billion but suspicions have grown in recent months that the government is hiding its indebtedness – as happened in neighbouring Mozambique, which in 2016 was forced to admit it had kept secret $2 billion of borrowing.

Fearing that Zambia might be in a similar position, the International Monetary Fund at one point delayed talks over a $1.3 billion loan deal.

The slump in the price of copper, Zambia’s leading export, has led to fears that Lusaka might even struggle to service its existing debt.

Lukuku and his supporters believe that the state is on the verge of handing control of the Zesco national electricity company, Lusaka airport and the ZNBC state broadcaster to China.Stung by the criticism that he was selling out to China, Lungu has hit back at critics.

“I implore you to ignore the misleading headlines that seek to malign our relationship with China by mischaracterising our economic cooperation to mean colonialism,” Lungu told lawmakers recently.

- ‘The dominance of Chinese’ -

Finance Minister Margaret Mwanakatwe has also come out to insist that, in the first half of 2018, $342 million was paid in interest to creditors, of which 53 percent were commercial sector – and only 30 percent of which were Chinese.

But the country’s main opposition party has put China’s debt dominance at the forefront of its campaign to unseat the government.

Opposition figure Stephen Katuka warned against the “rate Zambia is entertaining Chinese nationals which are displacing Zambians through big financial offers”.

Katuka, who is the secretary general of the United Party for National Development, described the replacement of Zambian workers with Chinese labourers – as is customary on Chinese-run projects – as “a time bomb”.

“If this situation is allowed to degenerate, it may lead to aggression on foreign nationals,” he added.

There have been several high profile incidents of Chinese managers allegedly mistreating their Zambian workers.

“In some instances the Chinese are beating Zambians in places of work for simply failing to follow instructions,” said Katuka.

Typically reclusive, China’s ambassador to Lusaka Lie Jie was drawn into the growing furore to defend Beijing’s intentions.
Nigeria should be careful in this her careless romance with china
http://ultrasurfing.com/business-and-tech/say-no-to-china-anger-mounts-in-zambia-over-beijings-presence/

Hmmm

African African. Pls wake up this people Are évil. they are evil. When are we going to learn? Do we always have to be slaves why are we so stupid.

Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Botswana please take serious note. Please elive up to your potential and do not surrender to the Chinese's debt trap.

this must be a case of recolonization

A

I once told them on twitter where our people are so crazy about 'no strings attached' Chinese loans.

Look up their recent history and their society at this present time. The Chinese don't have conscience, they don't have scruples and they don't have dignity as human beings.

They are a nation of godless automata and they will treat you blacks much worse than they treat their own citizens.

Katuka, who is the secretary general of the United Party for National Development, described the replacement of Zambian workers with Chinese labourers – as is customary on Chinese-run projects – as “a time bomb”.

“If this situation is allowed to degenerate, it may lead to aggression on foreign nationals,” he added.

There have been several high profile incidents of Chinese managers allegedly mistreating their Zambian workers.
“In some instances the Chinese are beating Zambians in places of work for simply failing to follow instructions,” said Katuka.

Ayomel:
[s]African African. Pls wake up this people Are évil. they are evil. When are we going to learn? Do we always have to be slaves why are we so stupid.[/s]

Calling Chinese evil? Are Chinese people forcing you to take their loans? Do they have gun in your head? It's the height of foolishness and hypocrisy. Did Chinese people kill over 3 million Igbos in the civil war? Did Chinese people starve 2 million Igbos to death? These evil were perpetrated by Northerners and Yorubas, fellow countrymen of the Igbos. Are Chinese asking Igbos to leave China? It's you Afonjas that are asking Igbos, fellow countrymen to leave Lagos. Chinese people as written by Dr. Thomas Sowell are just as smart and aggressive in business like Jews and Igbos. Useless Afonjas...always trying to remove a speck in someone's eye, while they have a timber in their eye. Pathological hypocrites!

Awake from your slumber O Africa

benben1000:


Calling Chinese evil? Are Chinese people forcing you to take their loans? Do they have gun in your head? It's the height of foolishness and hypocrisy. Did Chinese people kill over 3 million Igbos in the civil war? Did Chinese people starve 2 million Igbos to death? These evil were perpetrated by Northerners and Yorubas, fellow countrymen of the Igbos. Are Chinese asking Igbos to leave China? It's you Afonjas that are asking Igbos, fellow countrymen to leave Lagos. Chinese people as written by Dr. Thomas Sowell are just as smart and aggressive in business like Jews and Igbos. Useless Afonjas...always trying to remove a speck in someone's eye, while they have a timber in their eye. Pathological hypocrites!

it's amazing how you guys manage to turn everything into tribe.

martyns303:


it's amazing how you guys manage to turn everything into tribe.

If you reply me again, I'll slap that your hypocritical afonja face. Don't ever in your life reply me again.

What stops Africans from dominating the world..


Who did we offend.

benben1000:


Calling Chinese evil? Are Chinese people forcing you to take their loans? Do they have gun in your head? It's the height of foolishness and hypocrisy. Did Chinese people kill over 3 million Igbos in the civil war? Did Chinese people starve 2 million Igbos to death? These evil were perpetrated by Northerners and Yorubas, fellow countrymen of the Igbos. Are Chinese asking Igbos to leave China? It's you Afonjas that are asking Igbos, fellow countrymen to leave Lagos. Chinese people as written by Dr. Thomas Sowell are just as smart and aggressive in business like Jews and Igbos. Useless Afonjas...always trying to remove a speck in someone's eye, while they have a timber in their eye. Pathological hypocrites!

like seriously what does Biafra have to do with this topic? Most you make everything about Biafra or tribalism? If U wake up with hungry and hanger that’s your problem

If you know loan sharks, then you will know that China are big loan sharks. They are more than willing - in fact happy to give you loans to fund uneconomically viable projects. They will happily give you money to build the biggest shopping mall in a desert in a bit to massage your ego with it. But the day you default on payment agreement, that is when you will see pepper. Already, China has taken over territories in Srilanka, Pakistan, Maldives, Montenegro, and Djibouti thanks to loans.

ziddy:
I once told them on twitter where our people are so crazy about 'no strings attached' Chinese loans.

Look up their recent history and their society at this present time. The Chinese don't have conscience, they don't have scruples and they don't have dignity as human beings.

They are a nation of godless automata and they will treat you blacks much worse than they treat their own citizens.

Exactly!

When they were begging for loans up and down from China they didn't know they were foreclosing their future. Same way our dullardeen is borrowing from them. China is looking for a way to test their tech. If una like try them.

benben1000:


If you reply me again, I'll slap that your hypocritical afonja face. Don't ever in your life reply me again.

F0@l

God go punish anybody wey mention Buhari name for this Zambia matter.