On June 24, 2021, the 8th Ambassador Lecture was held by the China-African Institute (CAI) in Beijing to deeply cherish the memory of H.E. Dr. Kenneth David Kaunda, a pioneer of the China-Africa friendship, an old friend of Chinese people and the founding President of Zambia. Mrs. Winnie Chibesakunda, Ambassador of Zambia to China, Mr. Li Jie, Ambassador of China to Zambia, and Mr. Yang Youming, Former Ambassador of China to Zambia were invited to deliver keynote speeches. Dr. Sande Ngalande, Executive Director of the Belt and Road Joint Research Centre at the University of Zambia, Mr. Liu Zhao, Co-Director of the Belt and Road Joint Research Centre at the University of Zambia and Chairman of the Belt and Road Institute of Science Technology of Zambia, and Mr. Du Jiang, Associate Professor of the School of Communication and Design at the Sun Yat-sen University and a senior journalist were invited to give presentations on the topic. Professor Li Xinfeng, the executive president of the CAI, presided over the lecture and made an opening remark, and Professor Zhou Yunfan, the vice-president of the CAI, attended the lecture. More than 90 Chinese and African colleagues and friends from all walks of life joined the lecture on the spot and online as well.
At the beginning of the lecture, all participants stood up and paid silent tribute to mourn the passing away of H.E. Dr. Kaunda.
Mrs. Winnie Chibesakunda
“Without H.E. Dr. Kaunda, there would be no Zambia today,” said Mrs. Winnie Chibesakunda. She indicated that H.E. Dr. Kaunda is not only the founder of Zambia’s modernization, but also the pioneer of the liberation movement in southern Africa. He is also a great man who profoundly influenced the China-African relations and the world peace at large. Although H.E. Dr. Kaunda, a towering tree, the African lion and an all-weather friend of China, left the world on June 17, 2021, his legacy and contributions to the China-African relations and friendship will last forever. In his later years, H.E. Dr. Kaunda remained committed to nurturing of the ever flourishing all-weather friendship between Zambia and China in building a shared future for humankind in a win-win situation premised on mutual trust and respect. Following the steps of H.E. Dr. Kaunda, Zambia looks forward to expanding cooperation and strengthening friendship with China now than ever before.
Mr. Li Jie
Mr. Li Jie emphasized that H.E. Dr. Kaunda is an old friend, real friend and good friend of Chinese people. He elaborated that Zambia became the first country in southern Africa to establish diplomatic ties with the People’s Republic of China. As a landlocked country, Zambia faced serious economic obstacles by colonists and was in urgent need of a cross-border railway to break the blockade. Denied by the West and the Soviet Union, H.E. Dr. Kaunda’s request to construct the Tanzania-Zambia Railway (TAZARA) was strongly supported by Chinese leaders. TAZARA is by far still China’s largest foreign aid project and a historic monument in China-Africa and China-Zambia relations. Thus, H.E. Dr. Kaunda set forth the innovative expression of “all-weather friend” when he described China, and China has recognized the expression and considered China-Zambia relations as “all-weather friendship.” H.E. Dr. Kaunda and other African friends stood firmly for the restoration of the lawful seat of the People’s Republic of China at the United Nations in 1971. Through his lifetime, H.E. Dr. Kaunda visited China eight times and received warmly welcomes from Chinese leaders and Chinese people. In 1974, Chairman Mao Zedong put forward the famous Three Worlds Theory when meeting with President Kaunda in Beijing. President Kaunda became an important founder of the China-Zambia friendship. In 2009, he was honored as one of the “Five Africans who Touched China” Award by the China-Africa People’s Friendship Association for his outstanding contributions.
Mr. Yang Youming
Mr. Yang Youming recalled his personal memories with H.E. Dr. Kaunda and said that President Kaunda is a household name in China, which is inseparable from the traditional friendship between China and Zambia. In his later years, H.E. Dr. Kaunda still actively participated in various events to promote the China-Zambia friendship. In 2016, H.E. Dr. Kaunda joined a Chinese fair in Zambia. He appeared on the stage with a guitar slung across his shoulder, and sang “A Song of Unity” which was written by himself and dubbed as a second national anthem to express his emotions for the traditional friendship between China and Africa. It was on the occasion of the Chinese Lunar New Year, and all the overseas Chinese at the fair were deeply touched by his melodies and sincere feelings towards China and Chinese people. In May 2019, H.E. Dr. Kaunda attended the ground breaking ceremony of the TAZARA Memorial Park and praised the selfless dedication of the Chinese people for the construction of the railway, pointing out that the Memorial Park will become another symbol of the friendly cooperation between the two countries. Just as President Xi Jinping pointed out in the message of condolence to Zambian President Edgar Lungu over the passing of former Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda on June 22, H.E. Dr. Kaunda was a founder of China-Zambia friendship and the Chinese people will remember him forever for his outstanding contributions to the China-Zambia relations.
Dr. Sande Ngalande
“The traditional friendship established by President Kaunda and Chairman Mao Zedong has not only stood the test of time, but also served as a guiding and exemplary model for the China-Zambia cooperation in various fields in the New Era,” said Dr. Sande Ngalande. China has stood firmly with African countries as they strive for national independence and liberation movements, and China was also the first one to establish diplomatic ties and develop bilateral cooperation with African countries when they gained independence. Especially in recent years, with the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, China has become the largest trading partner of Africa. Although both two countries have suffered from the COVID-19 pandemics, Zambia has become one of the China’s most important destinations for foreign direct investments. It has an irreplaceable role in boosting the economic growth and development in Zambia. Moreover, China has sent medical teams and medical supplies to African countries during the pandemics. In a few days, the Chinese vaccines will be delivered to Zambia, which demonstrates that H.E. Dr. Kaunda, other African leaders and their Chinese counterparts have laid a solid foundation for the friendship between the two countries.
Mr. Liu Zhao
Mr. Liu Zhao said that as a Chinese who has been working in Zambia for more than a decade and a member of the Zambia China Friendship Association, he has the responsibility to make contributions to promoting exchanges in education and vocational training between the two countries. China and Zambia enjoy a long history of friendship, and our great leaders have laid a solid foundation for the development of China-Zambia and China-Africa relations. On March 2019, the Zambia China Friendship Association was launched in Lusaka, Zambia. H.E. Dr. Kaunda served as the honorary president of the association and delivered an opening remark at the ceremony. He emphasized that the association should strengthen the bonds of the two peoples and let more African countries learn from China’s development experience and poverty alleviation.
Professor Du Jiang
Professor Du Jiang said that it was his great honor to visit H.E. Dr. Kaunda’s residence by joining a research team on TAZARA led by Professor Li Xinfeng in 2013. In the interview, H.E. Dr. Kaunda pointed out that it was TAZARA, an extraordinary railway, that directly supported the people in southern Africa to win the victory of liberation movements. But colonists in southern Africa took every chance to hide bombs under the railway bridges to destroy the transportation along the TAZARA, which definitely posed a threat to the railway operation. In 1979, the TAZARA construction experts of Chinese side sent an emergency team for repairs and rebuilt a new railway bridge within a short period of time. H.E. Dr. Kaunda told the scholars that China not only helped Zambia build TAZARA, but also provided countless assistance to Zambia and other African countries in many areas. “Zambia hopes that such bilateral and multilateral cooperation could be strengthened on the basis of mutual benefits.”
Professor Li Xinfeng
In the opening remarks, Professor Li Xinfeng indicated that H.E. Dr. Kaunda is both one the greatest and finest son of Africa and the founding father of Zambia, who dedicated his whole life to the liberation, solidarity and development of his country and the whole continent. In African people’s epic fight for freedom, he stood steadfast against intimidation of colonialism and apartheid, and offered his own country at grave risks to provide safe harbour for the liberation movements of Southern African countries as well as its people. Under his championing, southern Africa finally ushered in the dawn of victory of freedom fights and unveiled a new era of sub-regional integration featured by freedom, solidarity and common prosperity. As a freedom fighter and statesman in hearts of African people, H.E. Dr. Kaunda was also the soul who facilitated modern China-African relations together with his comrades and brothers in China and Africa and brought eternal momentum into the China-Africa friendship.
Although the big man has passed away, his spirit never dies!
Lecture venue
As the Chinese national think tank and research base on African studies established on the instruction of H.E. Chinese President Xi Jinping on people-to-people exchanges at the FOCAC Beijing Summit in 2018, the CAI will stay committed to following the steps of our great leaders represented by H.E. Dr. Kaunda and contributing intellectual support to the building of a stronger China-Africa community with a shared future.
Lecture venue