Kamala Harris tells China to cancel debt to Zambia and vows to send country billions from US

US Vice President Kamala Harris has told China to write off Zambia’s debt as she promised to send the country billions from the US.

The vice president landed at a $1 billion airport in Lusaka on Thursday built by Beijing, which serves as a reminder of the vast influence China has over the African state.

Harris said the Lusaka government had implemented measures to strengthen its economy and should be supported with debt relief. She was speaking at the start of a two-day visit to Zambia on the last leg of her week-long tour of Africa.

The vice president also took the time to visit the site of her maternal grandfather’s home in Lusaka, where he lived as an Indian civil servant in the 1960s.

Zambia has been looking to restructure its debt since it became the first African country to default during the COVID-19 pandemic in late 2020. Its debts increased late last year, figures released by the Ministry of Finance showed. Finance this week. China is its largest bilateral creditor.

“We continue to reiterate our call on official bilateral creditors to provide significant relief to Zambia’s debt,” Harris told a news briefing when asked what the United States was doing to pressure China to restructure Zambia’s debt.

Africa has become a focus for Washington as it seeks to position itself as a partner for countries in the region amid competition from China, which has sought to expand its influence by financing infrastructure projects on the continent.

Harris said his visit to Zambia was aimed at strengthening existing relations between the two countries and not counteracting the Chinese presence in Africa.

‘Let me be clear. Our presence here is not about China. It’s about our independent understanding of the intertwined histories of our nations,’ said Harris, who also spoke warmly of visiting her grandfather while working in Zambia when she was a child.

Speaking at the same briefing, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema said delays in debt restructuring were hurting the economic gains Zambia had made.

Good relations with the United States do not exclude good relations with China and vice versa, he added.

‘When I’m in Washington, I’m not against Beijing. Likewise, when I’m in Beijing, I’m not against Washington,’ she said.

When Harris arrived in Zambia on Friday, he landed at an airport that has doubled in size and boasts shiny new terminals.

More than a symbol of promising local development, it is a reminder of China’s profound influence. Beijing funded the project, one of many that have expanded its footprint in a booming continent that is rich in natural resources, often generating goodwill among its citizens.

The global rivalry between the United States and China has been a recurring backdrop to Harris’s trip, and nowhere has it been more apparent than in Zambia and his previous stop in Tanzania.

In addition to the airport, China has built a 60,000-seat stadium in Lusaka, as well as roads and bridges throughout the country. Zambia is committed to all development with billions of dollars in debt.

Tanzania is a major trading partner of China and has a new political leadership school funded by the Chinese Communist Party.

The developments have alarmed Washington, and President Joe Biden’s administration is concerned that Africa is slipping further into Beijing’s sphere of influence.

Harris has downplayed the topic on his trip, preferring to focus on building partnerships independent of geopolitical competition.

However, he acknowledged that there is limited time for the US to make inroads into the continent, telling reporters earlier in the trip that there is a “window” that is “definitely open now” for US investment.

The vice president paused on Friday during the whirlwind of diplomatic exchanges for something much more personal: a visit to the site of her maternal grandfather’s home in Lusaka.

PV Gopalan was working with the newly independent Zambian government six decades ago on refugee resettlement and lived at 16 Independence Ave., where Harris visited as a child.

Home no longer exists; rather, an office building now stands on the land. The location was identified using parcel numbers in public records and land surveys, according to a White House official.

Harris said Friday it was “very special” to be back, describing her grandfather as “one of my favorite people” with a lasting influence on her life.

“He believed in the nobility of public service, he believed in the fight against corruption,” he said. “These are things he talked about a lot, and I don’t think it was until I was older that I realized how that subconsciously influenced my thinking.”

Officials at the US embassy in Lusaka reviewed public records, spoke with Zambian and Indian authorities, and contacted former Zambian government officials to identify the precise location of Gopalan’s home.

Harris’ relatives also offered souvenirs about the house, which helped with the embassy search, the White House official said.

The confirmation came just in time for Harris’ week-long trip to Africa; the US embassy identified the location while Harris was in Ghana, the first leg of his visit to the mainland, a few days ago.

The Zambian Ministry of Lands confirmed that 16 Independence Ave. was indeed the home of Gopalan, via a public land document dated March 9, 1967.

As Harris was touring the site, US Embassy official Elizabeth Norikane told the vice president that she had been searching for the right location for a year.

Zambia has celebrated Harris’ childhood ties to the country. On the way from the airport to the city, Harris was greeted by signs reading: “Welcome back to Zambia.”