Xi congratulates new president of Zambia

Leader vows to deepen relations of good friends, good partners and good brothers

Chinese President Xi Jinping has congratulated Hakainde Hichilema on his election as Zambian president.

In a recent congratulatory message, Xi said China and Zambia are good friends, good partners and good brothers.

Since the establishment of China-Zambia diplomatic ties, he noted, the two sides have deepened political mutual trust, achieved remarkable results in cooperation in various fields, and rendered each other mutual understanding and support on issues concerning their respective core interests and major concerns.

"I attach great importance to the development of China-Zambia relations, value the traditional friendship between the two countries, and stand ready to work with President Hichilema to deepen bilateral cooperation in various fields, so as to bring benefits to both countries and their peoples," Xi said.

Hichilema took the oath of office on Tuesday at the Heroes Stadium in the capital Lusaka before a crowd that notably included politicians from regional countries as well as former and current African leaders, including the presidents of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.

"I, Hakainde Hichilema, do swear that I will faithfully and diligently perform my duties ... in this high office," he declared, as the packed stadium clapped and roared.

On his sixth bid for the presidency, Hichilema, a longtime opposition leader, defeated then-president Edgar Lungu, 64, by almost 1 million votes. His win in the Aug 12 presidential election was confirmed on Aug 16 by the Electoral Commission of Zambia, the country's electoral body.

Global acclaim

Voter turnout was nearly 71 percent, and many Zambians queued late into the night to cast their ballots.

Zambia became only the second country in southern Africa in recent years to transfer its presidency to an opposition candidate after Malawi in 2020, Agence France-Presse said.

"The pattern of peaceful transitions of power we have been seeing in our region in recent years, ... (with) Zambia being the latest member to embody that, are worthy of global acclaim and our applause," said Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera, launching a summit of southern African leaders on Aug 17.

"To all the leaders and people of Zambia, we say thank you," he said.

Hailing the election as a success, Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairman of the African Union Commission, on Aug 17 commended the outgoing Lungu for demonstrating strong leadership and statesmanship through his gracious acceptance of the outcome of the elections.

While congratulating the electoral commission and all national stakeholders for their collective efforts in the exemplary conduct of peaceful, free and fair elections, and praising Ernest Bai Koroma, former president of Sierra Leone, for his leadership of the AU Election Observation Mission to Zambia, Mahamat expressed the AU's continued support to Zambia in its journey to deepen the country's democratic and participative governance credentials.

As president, Hichilema has inherited a troubled economy in the copper-rich southern African nation of over 18 million inhabitants at the risk of going into debt default.

Hichilema, fondly known as "HH" or "Bally"－an informal term for father－has vowed to woo back foreign investors.

Xinhua and agencies contributed to this story.